A Pentagon official said on Thursday that the United States is ready to respond to any "late Christmas gift" from North Korea, adding it has a "variety of means."

Heino Klinck, deputy assistant secretary of defense for East Asia, made the remarks during a seminar hosted by the National Bureau of Asian Research in Washington.

North Korea warned last year that it could send a "Christmas gift" to the U.S. in protest of stalled denuclearization negotiations between the countries, raising concerns that the regime could resume its nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests. 

Klinck said that the U.S. is postured to respond to a late Christmas gift, but hopefully it won't happen, adding everyone in the government wants a diplomatic solution.

The official added that the Pentagon wants to give the State Department room to reach a successful outcome diplomatically.

He said that the U.S. knows that North Korea has one playbook, which is provocation, and it is ready to respond through a variety of means if the North reverts to that playbook.

[Photo : YONHAP News]