Mattis Has A HUGE Shocker For North Korea, Kim Jong-Un Isn’t Going To Like

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis hinted on Monday about the existence of military options on North Korea.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says U.S. might use kinetic technology while discussing the North Korea problem, but Mattis did not elaborate more when asked for details.

Most experts believe that a military strike on North Korea would invite a devastating response from Pyongyang. The city of Seoul, South Korea, home to 25 million, is well within artillery range of the North, which would likely use conventional artillery munitions and chemical weapons.

But, according to Mattis, the Pentagon has a few tricks up its sleeve that wouldn’t involve the decimation of Seoul.

When asked, “is there any military option the U.S. can take with North Korea that would not put Seoul at grave risk?” on Monday, Mattis responded, “Yes, there are, but I will not go into details.”

Previously, Mattis said a war with North Korea would “involve the massive shelling of an ally’s capital, which is one of the most densely packed cities on earth,” in reference to Seoul.

Seoul is within artillery range of North Korea, which beyond nuclear and conventional weapons is also believed to have a sizable chemical and biological arsenal.

Pressed on whether that might include so-called “kinetic” options that use lethal force, Mattis said: “I don’t want to go into that.”

Military options available to Trump range from non-lethal actions like a naval blockade aimed at enforcing sanctions to waging cyber-attacks and positioning new U.S. weaponry in South Korea, where the United States has 28,500 troops.

South Korea has raised the possibility of reintroducing nuclear weapons to the peninsula. Mattis acknowledged discussing that with his South Korean counterpart but declined to say whether that option was under consideration.

“We have open dialogue with our allies on any issue that they want to bring up,” he said.

U.S. President Donald Trump has hinted that any use of lethal force against North Korea would be overwhelming, using phrases like “fire and fury” that evoke images of nuclear war.