US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson says the escalating threat from North Korea's nuclear program shows a clear need for a "new approach," although he's stopped short of detailing what steps the Trump administration will pursue.
Tillerson was speaking at a news conference following talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, the start of his first trip to Asia as secretary of state. It was the first time Tillerson, a former oil executive with no prior diplomatic experience, took questions from the media since joining office in early February.
Two decades of diplomatic and other efforts, including aid given to North Korea by the United States, had failed to achieve the goal of denuclearising Pyongyang, he said.
"So we have 20 years of failed approach," Tillerson said. "That includes a period where the United States has provided $US1.35 billion in assistance to North Korea as an encouragement to take a different pathway."
He added: "In the face of this ever-escalating threat, it is clear that a different approach is required. Part of the purpose of my visit to the region is to exchange views on a new approach."
Tillerson visits South Korea and China later in the week. The New York Times reported on Wednesday he will warn Chinese officials that the United States would increase missile defences in the region and target Chinese banks if Beijing does not constrain North Korea's nuclear and missile ambitions.
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