WASHINGTON _ President Donald Trump's senior security adviser on Sunday warned North Korea to end its nuclear testing or face U.S. reprisals, and he called that country's leader a global threat.
National security adviser H.R. McMaster said Trump "will take action" if North Korea continues to threaten the U.S.
McMaster was asked on ABC's Sunday program "This Week" about North Korea's complaints that aggressive language from the U.S. increases the likelihood of conflict.
"I think it should make clear to the North Korean regime that it is in their best interest to stop the development of these (nuclear and ballistic) weapons, to stop the development of these missiles, and to de-nuclearize the peninsula," he said.
McMaster spoke as North Korea launched another missile test that apparently failed, and as Vice President Mike Pence arrived in South Korea on an 11-day trip to Asia.
McMaster said it was "clear" that Trump would not allow North Korea to threaten the United States but did not offer specifics about what kind of action the administration is contemplating.
He said North Korea's leader was "unpredictable" and a threat to the world but also to those who oppose him at home _ even his own family members if they get in the way.
"I mean, what Kim Jong Un is doing is a threat to all people in the region and globally as well," McMaster said.
McMaster reiterated the administration's contention that China, North Korea's only big ally, take a greater role in exerting economic pressure on Pyongyang to cease its nuclear ambitions.
