U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis says that South Korea will not face North Korean provocations alone, amid speculations that North Korea could test another long-range missile on the anniversary of its founding day on Saturday.
 
Mattis made the remarks on Thursday in response to a reporter's question about the possibility of a fresh North Korean missile provocation, saying that his department is checking the North’s movements every day.
 
Mattis recalled that the leaders of the U.S. and South Korea spoke on the phone after the North's sixth nuclear test and he also talked to South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo earlier this week.
 
The U.S. defense chief assured that the two allies are "tied tightly together" and South Korea will not face a possible North Korean provocation alone.

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