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US Defense Secretary Esper says he can consider resuming military training following North Korea's actions. The best way, of course, is a political agreement for denuclearization, calling for Kim Jong-un's refusal.

Correspondent Son Seok-min in Washington reports.

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In an interview with Fox News, Mr. Esper reaffirmed the principle of diplomatic solution first, "The best road to North Korea is a political agreement that denuclearizes the Korean peninsula."

"Kim Jong-un calls the chairman and the leadership to come to the negotiating table and ask for restraint."

"We are ready to fight tonight if we still need it from a military point of view," said Mr. Esper.

In particular, in an interview with MSNBC, the question of whether to resume ROK-US military training was open, saying, "We have something to consider, based on Kim's next move."

Earlier today, Secretary of State Pompeio warned that North Korea's suspension of nuclear and missile tests was the price of its commitment to stop US-South Korean military training. Kim warned that it should not be broken.

As the US State Department's analysis of the report by the North Korean Labor Party is underway, former State Department North Korean intelligence analyst Robert Carlin said the key to the report is not a resumption of strategic weapons tests, but a fundamental shift in North Korea's US policy.

Therefore, Kalin predicts that North Korea is likely to prepare for a long-term struggle instead of compromise with the United States.