U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Mark Milley said in an interview with Japanese media that North Korea's nuclear and missile threat is very real and that the U.S, South Korea and Japan have the option of jointly responding to the threat.

In an interview published by Nihon Keizai Shimbun newspaper on Saturday, the military chief said that North Korean leader Kim Jong-un was unpredictable and the Korean Peninsula was one of the regions in the world where an immediate response posture must be maintained at all times. 

He warned that a war could break out in the area in a matter of days depending on the circumstances.

Regarding North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missiles, Milley said that if it decides to do so, the regime can launch an attack with the U.S. mainland within range of its arsenal.

On China, the general said the country seeks to challenge the U.S. on land, sea and air as well as in outer space and cyberspace and is developing strong military power to this end.

On Japan, Milley said Tokyo’s Self-Defense Forces will come more to the fore in terms of response to unpredictable events in the Pacific region.

[Photo : YONHAP News]