Tillerson tells North Korea the U.S. is 'not your enemy,' open to talks

(Image credit: Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)

Speaking directly to North Korea, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday that the United States is "not your enemy, we are not your threat, but you are presenting an unacceptable threat to us and we have to respond."

Tillerson made his remarks during a press briefing at the State Department. He also said the U.S. "would like to sit and have a dialogue about the future. Our other options are not attractive." Pyongyang must stop trying to develop nuclear weapons and testing intercontinental ballistic missiles, he said, but it's important the government knows the U.S. is not asking for a regime change and will not send military "north of the 38th parallel" dividing North and South Korea.

While countries that have ties to North Korea need to pressure them to give up their nuclear dreams, what is happening in North Korea isn't their fault. "We certainly don't blame the Chinese for the situation in North Korea," Tillerson said. "But we do believe China has a unique and special relationship. We continue to call upon them to use that influence with North Korea to create the conditions where we can have a productive dialogue."

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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.