U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said Tuesday that Washington is not seeking regime change in North Korea and would be open to dialogue, a stance seemingly at odds with President Donald Trump and officials in the administration.
Tillerson, in a rare news conference marking six months since his swearing-in, said the U.S. was not aiming to topple North Korean leader Kim Jong Un or looking for "an excuse to send our military north of the 38th parallel."
"We do not seek a regime change; we do not seek the collapse of the regime; we do not seek an accelerated reunification of the peninsula; we do not seek an excuse to send our military north of the 38th parallel," Tillerson said. "And we're trying to convey to the North Koreans we are not your enemy, we are not your threat, but you are presenting an unacceptable threat to us, and we have to respond."
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