Defense Secretary Mark Esper asked North Korea to refrain, but insisted the US military was always ready to fight when needed.

"We expect Kim Jong-un's restraint," US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said in an interview with Fox News on January 2 at the Pentagon, emphasizing that the political deal on non-nuclear chemistry is the best route for North Korea.

"We are on that path. We want to continue on that path and obviously, we will urge Kim Jong-un and his leadership to sit down at the negotiating table," said Esper. .

However, the Pentagon chief said the US military is ready to "fight tonight" if necessary.

"We have the full forces. They are ready, including the air and navy, the marines. We have Korean allies, behind us there are also great allies and partners. Because so, I believe in the willingness of our forces to prevent bad behavior from the North, ready to fight and win when necessary, "Esper said.

Speaking to reporters on the same day, US Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley announced that the country's forces were on alert, ready to respond to whatever happened.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un on January 1 said Pyongyang had no reason to unilaterally be bound to pledge to stop testing intercontinental ballistic missiles and nuclear bombs. Kim told the North's Central Committee of the Workers' Party that the world would see North Korea's "new strategic weapon" in the near future, and was willing to face international sanctions to maintain it. nukes.

An unnamed US official said there were no signs that North Korea was preparing for a long-range missile test, but after Kim's speeches, Pyongyang could test short-range ballistic missiles. anytime.

Speaking on January 1 at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida, US President Donald Trump said Kim was the one who kept his word and would respect the denuclearization commitments between Washington and Pyongyang at the summit. peak in Singapore in 2018.

Efforts to negotiate between the US and the Court have stalled since the second summit in Hanoi in February 2019 because of disagreements about sanctions and denuclearization. North Korea has set a deadline for 2019 for Washington to make new concessions but no moves have been made.