Jim Mattis visits Korean DMZ: 'Our goal is not war'

"North Korean provocations continue to threaten regional and global security despite unanimous condemnation by the UN," Jim Mattis said.

North Korea said it will release a South Korean fishing boat on Friday after it was found illegally in North Korean waters, state media reported, as the US defence secretary visited the heavily militarised border dividing the Korean peninsula.

Tensions between North Korea and the United States have been building after a series of weapons tests by Pyongyang and bellicose verbal exchanges between US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, stoking fears any miscalculation could lead to an armed confrontation.

“North Korean provocations continue to threaten regional and global security despite unanimous condemnation by the United Nations Security