US can attack N Korea ‘with no risk to Seoul’, says James Mattis

The US has options to attack North Korea that would not expose Seoul to counter-­attack, says Defence Secretary James Mattis.

The US has options to attack North Korea that would not expose Seoul to a deadly counter- ­attack, Defence Secretary James Mattis said yesterday.

His comments are significant because fears of an attack on the South Korean capital have long been considered a key reason not to attack North Korea.

Asked whether there were military options the US could take with North Korea that would not put Seoul at grave risk, Mr Mattis said: “Yes there are. But I will not go into details.”

His comments came as Foreign Minister Julie Bishop said it was time for the global community to place “maximum pressure” on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs.

Speaking in New York where she is attending UN General Assembly, Ms Bishop said Australia would support a new round of sanctions against the nuclear-armed nation if the most recent measures were not effective.

“There has to be maximum political and diplomatic and economic pressure from all countries to ensure that North Korea does not continue to be an international threat,” she said.

“Maximum pressure must be bought to bear. Obviously that does mean there is room for further sanctions if we do not see the impact of the current round.”

President Donald Trump was expected to criticise North Korea’s increasing aggression in his first address to the assembly overnight.

The US ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, has said Washington was moving closer to possible military action against the Stalinist state because diplomatic options were being exhausted.

US military options against North Korea range from a surgical strike to knock out much of the regime’s nuclear facilities and missiles to a massive attack that would end the regime but risk devastating counter-attacks on South Korea and Japan.

Mr Mattis said the new sanctions against North Korea — approved by the Security Council unanimously on September 11 — were working.

The White House said yesterday that Mr Trump had spoken with Chinese President Xi Jinping by phone and that the leaders “committed to maximising pressure on North Korea through vigorous enforcement of United Nations Security Council resolutions”.

China’s account did not include any such reference.

North Korea’s foreign ministry said: “The increased moves of the US and its vassal forces to impose sanctions and pressure on North Korea will only increase our pace towards the ultimate completion of the state nuclear force.”

The ministry said the new UN sanctions were intended to “physically exterminate” North Korea’s people, system and government.

But China’s foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said that “the pressing issue for all relevant parties is to ensure the full and serious implementation of the (UN) resolution, but not creating new complications”.

Indirectly referring chiefly to the US, he said: “Some parties from time to time make threatening remarks and actions. These have not helped resolve the nuclear crisis, but are making the ­situations facing the Korean Peninsula more tense.”

Ms Bishop, who met Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono yesterday, said Tokyo was aghast at the two recent North Korean missile tests over Japanese territory.

“Minister Kono spoke of the deep anguish in Japan on this issue. People in Japan are wakening to alarms to advise them a missile is likely. This is obviously deeply unsettling,” she said.

Ms Bishop said Australia’s position was that all countries must now do their part to ensure that the most recent and comprehensive round of sanctions against North Korea were fully enforced.

“As a package, it comprises the toughest and most comprehensive set of sanctions against North Korea and, when they have a chance to be fully implemented, I believe they will have an impact on North Korea and change its behaviour,” she said.

She said international pressure had led North Korea to change its behaviour in the past and she believed it was possible to do so again in future.