Mattis: North Korea Should Refrain from Actions Leading to the End of Its Regime

U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis has warned North Korea not to engage in actions that could lead to the 'end of its regime' and to cease its nuclear weapons production program. According to Reuters, Mr. Mattis stated on Wednesday, August 9, that 'the Democratic People's Republic of Korea must decide not to further isolate itself and to stop its efforts to produce nuclear weapons.' He added, 'The actions of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are shamelessly aggressive, and if this regime initiates a battle or an arms race, it will fail.' Following the approval of new United Nations sanctions against it, Pyongyang has adopted a more aggressive stance, announcing that it has a plan for a potential attack on Guam, an island in the Pacific administered by the United States. However, hours after this threat, the U.S. Secretary of Defense urged the North Korean government to refrain from leading its people towards destruction. Mr. Mattis stated, 'The Democratic People's Republic of Korea must cease actions that lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people.' He then warned that 'the United States, while continuing its diplomatic efforts, must make it clear that it and its allies possess the most precise and powerful defensive and offensive capabilities on the ground.' Just hours before these statements, U.S. President Donald Trump had warned North Korea not to threaten the U.S. again, or it would face fire and fury like the world has never seen. The United States has 28,500 troops in South Korea to protect the country from threats from its northern neighbor. Japan also hosts about 54,000 U.S. military personnel. Meanwhile, with the increasing threats from North Korea, South Korean defense officials announced that U.S. bombers conducted military exercises over South Korea earlier this week. Recently, the Washington Post published a report stating that North Korea has been able to produce a nuclear warhead for installation on a ballistic missile. No official has yet confirmed this report from the Washington Post.