Local Editor

The US is prepared to strike North Korea if necessary with "devastating" consequences for the country, US President Donald Trump warned, vowing to fix what he referred to as the North Korean "mess" which he said should have been taken care of decades ago.

"We are totally prepared for the second option, not a preferred option. But if we take that option, it will be devastating for North Korea. That is called the military option. If we have to take it, we will," Trump said in Washington during a joint news conference with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Emphasizing that the US is not the one to blame for the escalation of tensions on the Korean Peninsula, Trump accused his Korean counterpart Kim Jong-un of "acting very badly," and "saying things that should never, ever be said."

"And we're replying to those things, but it is a reply. It is not an original statement, it is a reply," Trump stressed.

Meanwhile, the US State Department also seems to believe that "answering" North Korea with increased and amplified warmongering rhetoric is an example of effective diplomacy and communication.

"The president is an effective communicator. I think people know exactly where he stands. We have had a good deal of success in pushing forward with our diplomacy campaign," said State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert, dodging questions on whether Trump's blunt tweeted statements could be damaging to US foreign policy.

Trump noted that previous US administrations failed to restrain North Korea's nuclear ambitions, which could have been "handled 25 years ago... much more easily."

"The various administration left me a mess. But I'll fix the mess. So we'll see what happens with North Korea," Trump vowed, speaking on the lawns of the White House.

Mutually militant rhetoric from Washington and Pyongyang has been bordering on an all-out war for months, as the North Korean regime continues to test and perfect its nuclear striking capabilities.

The US, has for some time, been contemplating using its military capabilities to "destroy" North Korea.

On Tuesday Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Joseph Dunford told Congress Washington should assume that North Korea already has the capability to attack the US with a nuclear weapon and plan accordingly.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team