Mattis warns North Korea against risking 'destruction of its people'

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned North Korea Wednesday that it would be "grossly" outmatched in any conflict with the US, telling Pyongyang to stop considering any action that risked "the destruction of its people". "The DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) must choose to stop isolating itself and stand down its pursuit of nuclear weapons," Mattis said in a statement. "The DPRK should cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people."
The Pentagon chief's comments came a day after President Donald Trump issued an apocalyptic warning to his North Korean counterpart Kim Jong-Un, telling him Pyongyang faced "fire and fury" over its weapons and ballistic missile programs. Mattis said the United Nations Security Council now has a "unified" voice after it unanimously approved tough new sanctions against North Korea.
"The United States and our allies have the demonstrated capabilities and unquestionable commitment to defend ourselves from an attack," Mattis said. He added that US and allied militaries now have "the most precise, rehearsed and robust defensive and offensive capabilities on Earth." "The DPRK regime's actions will continue to be grossly overmatched by ours and would lose any arms race or conflict it initiates," he said.