Esper urges Pyongyang to negotiate on denuclearization

WASHINGTON－US Defense Secretary Mark Esper on Thursday said the United States still sees a political agreement on denuclearization as the best path forward for the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, but US forces remained prepared to fight if necessary.

"We would urge restraint by Kim Jong-un (the DPRK's top leader)," Esper said in an interview.

Kim said this week that there were no longer grounds for Pyongyang to be bound by a moratorium on intercontinental ballistic missile and nuclear bomb testing and that a "new strategic weapon" would be introduced in the near future.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there were no indications that Pyongyang was preparing for an imminent long-range missile test.

The official said the assessment after Kim's speech was that Pyongyang believes it does not have to rush to test an intercontinental ballistic missile, though shorter-range missile or engine tests could be possible at any time.

US President Donald Trump－who in 2018 became the first US leader to meet with a DPRK top leader－said Kim had signed a denuclearization contract and Trump thought Kim was a "man of his word".

Last month, the DPRK warned the US of a possible "Christmas gift" after Kim gave the US until the end of 2019 to propose new concessions in talks over Pyongyang's nuclear arsenal.

Speaking on Thursday, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Mark Milley said that the alert status of US forces was at a sufficient level to respond to anything that happens and military defensive capabilities were adequate to defend the US.

Reuters