Hopes of dialogue as North Korea praised by US for showing restraint after UN resolution
US SECRETARY of State Rex Tillerson has commended North Korea for recent restraint that he said could point the way to possible dialogue with America.
Mr Tillerson said North Korea has not launched missiles or other provocations since the UN Security Council adopted a resolution against weapons development on August 5.
He told reporters that demonstrated “a level of restraint that we have not seen in the past”.
Mr Tillerson expressed hope that it could signal a North Korean willingness to lessen tensions and that “perhaps we are seeing our pathway” to a dialogue in the near future.
He added, however: “We need to see more on their part.”
Tensions were running high after the UN adopted new sanctions and after angry statements by the leaders of both countries.
North Korea condemned President Donald Trump as a leader who frequently tweets “weird articles of his ego-driven thoughts” and “spouts rubbish” to give his assistants a hard time.
The North’s official Korean Central News Agency made the comments in response to tough talk in Washington and Seoul over threats posed by Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile programmes.
It criticised South Korea’s “puppy-like” defence minister, who it said was “running wild” while relying on the “master of the White House”.
North Korea’s military issued its standard fiery threats in response to war games involving US and South Korean troops, vowing that there would be “merciless retaliation” for the exercises which it views as a rehearsal for an invasion.
US military commanders earlier dismissed calls for Washington and Seoul to pause joint military exercises to ease tensions created by North Korean threats to fire missiles towards Guam.
Admiral Harry Harris, commander of US forces in the Pacific, said that while a diplomatic solution is the priority, diplomacy must be backed with “credible combat power”.
Vincent Brooks, the commander of US Forces Korea, said the allies should continue the war games until they “have reason not to”.