Military action not first choice against N Korea: Trump

Washington D.C. [USA], Sep 7 (ANI): United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday said that military action is not his "first choice" against North Korea.

After a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping on North Korea's ongoing moves to develop its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, said Trump, when asked if he was still considering military action. "Certainly that's not a first choice," CNN reported.

However, he did not rule out the military action, saying, "We'll see what happens."

Describing the call with Xi as a "very, very frank and very strong phone call," Trump said that he and Xi are on the same page.

"We will not be putting up with what's happening in North Korea. I believe that President Xi agrees with me 100%," Trump added.

Earlier, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres had urged big powers to come up with a political solution to stop Kim Jong-un from advancing in the development of nuclear weapons and inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM) and warned against adopting military action, saying the "potential consequences to military action are too horrific."

"A confrontational rhetoric may lead to unintended consequences. The solution must be political. The potential consequences of a military action are too horrific," the Secretary General said, referring to the rhetoric being used by U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.

The Secretary General stressed that a dialogue and communication is necessary to avoid miscalculation or misunderstanding.

Guterres said, "As the Secretary General, I am ready to support any efforts towards a peaceful solution of this alarming situation, and as I said, to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula."

Guterres's comments came hours after a top North Korean diplomat warned that his country is ready to send "more gift packages" to the United States.

The United Nations has "unequivocally" condemned the latest nuclear and missile tests by the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), denouncing them as "profoundly destabilising for regional and international security."

"The DPRK has broken the global norm against nuclear test explosions," Guterres said at the U.N. Headquarters in New York.

Han Tae Song, Ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, confirmed that North Korea, officially known as the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), had successfully conducted its sixth and largest nuclear bomb test on Sunday.

"Yet again, the country has defied the Security Council and the international community."

"Yet again, the DPRK has needlessly and recklessly put millions of people at risk - including its own citizens already suffering drought, hunger and serious violations of their human rights," he added.

The U.N.S.C. reiterated that North Korea should fully comply with its international obligations, including the Security Council Resolution 2371, which was adopted last month.

The Council has adopted Resolution 2356 designating high-ranking North Korean government officials and the military's Strategic Rocket Forces Command for individual sanctions. (ANI)

This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI