White House National Security Adviser Herbert McMaster says North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's New Year speech was simply aimed at coming between South Korea and the United States. 

In an interview with the Voice of America on Tuesday, McMaster said North Korea could not alienate Seoul from Washington and Kim's provocative actions are only bringing the two allies closer.

The security adviser downplayed Kim's speech, saying that anybody who thought that speech was reassuring was drinking too much champagne over the holidays.

He stressed that the only way to prevent war is to use coercive economic power. McMaster added that if sanctions don’t work, he will have to prepare for a broad range of options for the president, and those include military options.

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