(CNN) Secretary of Defense James Mattis said Saturday that the increasing nuclear threat from North Korea has brought "a new urgency" to military and diplomatic collaboration with South Korea. "The threat from North Korea has grown markedly even since my trip here earlier this year," Mattis said while appearing alongside his South Korean counterpart, Song Young-moo, at a press conference in Seoul. "North Korea has accelerated the threat that it poses to its neighbors and the world through its illegal and unnecessary missile and nuclear weapons programs," he added, emphasizing that the US "does not accept a nuclear North Korea." The actions have prompted the United States and United Nations to impose new sanctions on Pyongyang, but China's cooperation is considered critical to putting economic pressure on North Korea. "Any use of nuclear weapons by the North will be met with a massive military response, effective and overwhelming."

Source: CNN October 28, 2017 20:26 UTC