US general warns of 'terrible' consequences if attacking North Korea

Senior US General Joseph Dunford warned that allowing North Korea to launch a nuclear attack on the US would be "unimaginable".

Mr. Dunford, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, told reporters in Beijing on August 17 that President Trump had asked military commanders to "outline credible, viable military options."

However, the general expressed that a military solution to the North Korean threat is "very terrible".

US General Joseph Dunford. Photo: Washington Times

Mr. Dunford's warning came at the same time that South Korean President Moon Jae-in announced that Washington pledged to seek Seoul's approval before implementing any military options against Pyongyang.

The US has more than 28,000 troops stationed in South Korea.

"I will see whether North Korea crosses the red line if it conducts another intercontinental ballistic missile launch and weaponizes it by mounting a nuclear warhead on the tip of the missile," Mr. Moon said on August 17.

Earlier, President Trump vowed to respond to any threat against the US with "fire and fury" like the world has never seen. However, his chief strategist Steve Bannon revealed in an interview on the evening of August 16 that there is no military solution to the crisis on the Korean peninsula.

"There's no military solution, forget it," Bannon told The American Prospect. "Until someone solves the equation of 10 million people in Seoul being safe in the first 30 minutes of a conventional attack, I don't know what you're talking about. There's no military solution, they know us."

Last week, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatened to launch a missile strike into the waters around Guam, a US territory in the western Pacific Ocean with a population of 160,000 and several important military bases.

However, while studying the plan, Mr. Kim Jong-un seemed to withdraw the threat, saying that he would wait and see what "foolish and foolish actions" the United States would take.

In July, North Korea escalated tensions to a new level when it tested two intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs).

General Dunford's comments came after he embarked on a nearly week-long trip to Asia, with stops in South Korea and China.

Earlier this week, he and his Chinese counterparts signed an agreement to “improve communication between the two militaries and reduce the risk of miscalculation.” A direct bilateral communication line at the three-star level will also be established./.

According to Vietnamnet.vn