"But at the same time", the prime minister said, "dialogue for the sake of dialogue is valueless and it is necessary for us to exercise pressure North Korea so that it comes forward and engages in this serious dialogue".
North Korea's propaganda website on Thursday reviled U.S. Vice President Mike Pence in its first response to his recent warning to Pyongyang not to test USA resolve and military strength.
Aboard the USS Ronald Reagan, the vice-president told troops he was there as "storm clouds gather on the horizon" of north-east Asia.
"I think it's important that North Korea knows we're not trying to pick a fight, so don't try and give us one", she said.
Later Mr Pence vowed to "defeat any attack and meet any use of conventional or nuclear weapons with an overwhelming and effective American response".
There has been some confusion over the whereabouts of a US aircraft carrier group after Trump said last week that he had sent an "armada" as a warning to North Korea even as the ships were still far from Korean waters.
Seoul, the South Korean capital, is just a stone's throw away from the military demarcation line that splits the Korean peninsula and is within easy range of North Korean long-range artillery.
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United Nations diplomats said the proposed statement had consensus from the other 14 Council members, including China, North Korea's biggest ally and a Council permanent member.
The vice president said the USA would honor its alliance with Pacific Rim nations and protect freedom of navigation in the South China Sea, the sea lanes vital to global shipping where China has been staking claim to disputed territory.
The Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of the North's ruling Workers' Party, did not mince its words in a commentary, saying North Korea was fully prepared for any US attack.
"North Korea would do well not to test his resolve or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region", Pence said.
Mattis did not identify the type of missile but said it was not of intercontinental range, meaning it could not reach USA territory.
"Hwang and Pence plot to strengthen sanctions and pressure against us", it said. "We believe that through discussions and negotiations among nations apart from North Korea that we may well be able to bring the kind of economic and diplomatic pressure that would result in North Korea finally abandoning its nuclear ambitions and its ballistic missile program". But officials have avoided tipping their hand as to how the administration will proceed, instead touting Trump's unpredictability as a deterrent for North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to weigh carefully.
North Korea is seen as toning down its condemnation as its foreign ministry has yet to release its stance on Pence's warning, analysts said.
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