U.S warns North Korea of 'overwhelming' nuclear response

U.S Defence Secretary James Mattis has warned that any use of nuclear weapons by North Korea would be met with an ‘effective and overwhelming’ response.

Confirming plans to deploy a US missile defence system in South Korea later this year, Mattis was speaking in South Korea alongside his South Korean counterpart Han Min-koo, where he had been reaffirming US support.

he told reporters that ‘any attack on the United States, or our allies, will be defeated, and any use of nuclear weapons would be met with a response that would be effective and overwhelming’.

The US has a considerable military presence in South Korea and Japan, as part of a post-war defence deal. However, North Korea's repeated missile and nuclear tests and aggressive statements continue to alarm U.S forces in the region. The nations conducted its fifth test of a nuclear device last year.

New U.S President Donald Trump has said that he wants both South Korea and Japan to pay more towards maintaining the U.S’s military presence, for which Seoul reportedly pays £710 million annually.