US Defence Secretary James Mattis

Seoul : Visiting US Defence Secretary James Mattis warned on Saturday that a possible North Korean nuclear strike on the US or its allies will be defeated with a “massive military response”.

Speaking after talks with his South Korean counterpart Song Young-moo in Seoul, the Pentagon chief pointed out North Korea has accelerated its threats with “unnecessary” nuclear and missile programmes, reports Yonhap News Agency.

His remarks came after the conclusion of the 49th annual Security Consultative Meeting (SCM) between the US and South Korea, held at the Defence Ministry.

North Korea’s military will be overmatched by the allies’ combined defense posture, he stressed.

“Make no mistake, any attack on the US, or our allies, will be defeated.

“Any use of nuclear weapons will be met with a massive military response,” Mattis added.

Upon his arrival in South Korea on Friday, Mattis said that the American government did not want a war with North Korea, but rather initiate a process to achieve a complete denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula.

Mattis’ statement came during his visit to a border guard post and the Joint Security Area, which is part of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) that divides the two Koreas.

He urged the Kim Jong-un regime to halt provocations that threaten others “with catastrophe”.

Mattis’ trip to the region comes ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to Asia next week.

However, Trump will most likely forgo a visit to the heavily fortified border, according to the White House.

—IANS