Defense Secretary James Mattis and three other U.S. government officials have informed lawmakers of President Donald Trump’s order to review the U.S. policy with regard to North Korea, DoD News reported Wednesday.Mattis made the briefing with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats at the White House Wednesday.
Mattis, Tillerson and Coats on Wednesday also issued a joint statement about North Korea’s ballistic and nuclear missile tests and weapons programs and how such activities pose a threat to Northeast Asia, the U.S. and allies.
“We are engaging responsible members of the international community to increase pressure on [North Korea] in order to convince the regime to de-escalate and return to the path of dialogue,†they said in the statement.
The leaders added the U.S. government will continue to coordinate with Japan and South Korea to “preserve stability†and achieve “peaceful denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.â€
