Use of US force will be sad day for North, says Trump

Wahsington/ Beijing: US President Donald Trump said on Friday he would prefer not to use military action against North Korea to counter its nuclear and missile threat but that if he did it would be a “very sad day” for the leadership in Pyongyang.

Mr Trump again pointedly declined to rule out a US military response following North Korea’s sixth and most powerful nuclear test as his administration seeks increased economic sanctions, saying Pyongyang was “behaving badly and it’s got to stop.”

“Military action would certainly be an option. Is it inevitable? Nothing is inevitable,” Mr Trump said during a news conference. “I would prefer not going the route of the military,” Mr Trump said. “If we do use it on North Korea, it will be a very sad day for North Korea.”

Even as Mr Trump has insisted that now is not the time to talk to North Korea, senior members of his administration have made clear that the door to a diplomatic solution remains open, especially given the US assessment that any pre-emptive strike would unleash massive North Korean retaliation. While Mr Trump talked tough on North Korea, China agreed on Thursday that the UN should take more action against Pyongyang but also kept pushing for dialogue to help resolve thestandoff. North has said it would respond to any new UN sanctions.