Tillerson calls for ‘new approach’ to halt nuclear North Korea
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson calls for a new approach after 20 years of failed policy
Tokyo — US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Thursday the escalating threat from North Korea’s nuclear programme showed a clear need for a "new approach", although he stopped short of detailing what steps the Trump administration would pursue. Tillerson was speaking at a news conference following talks with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida in Tokyo, the start of his first trip to Asia as secretary of state. It was the first time Tillerson, a former oil executive with no prior diplomatic experience, had taken questions from the media since coming into office in early February. Two decades of diplomatic and other efforts, including aid given to North Korea by the US, had failed to achieve the goal of denuclearising Pyongyang, he said. "So we have 20 years of failed approach," Tillerson said. "That includes a period where the US has provided $1.35bn in assistance to North Korea as an encouragement to take a different pathway. "In the face of this ever-escalating threat, i...
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