Donald Trump says talking with North Korea 'is not the answer'
Video report by ITV News China Correspondent Debi Edward
Donald Trump has said "talking is not the answer" as he once again raised the stakes in a stand-off with North Korea.
The US President hit back via a Twitter post after Pyongyang launched a missile over Japan and the rogue state's leader Kim Jong-un called for it to carry out more missile tests in the region.
Mr Trump appeared to rule out diplomacy as a route to a breakthrough over rising tensions in his latest social media post.
His tweet also claimed that the US has been paying North Korea "extortion money", though it was not clear what this meant.
The highly isolated state has been left financially crippled by international sanctions that have left them with virtually no cross-border trade.
World leaders had expressed shock and dismay after Pyongyang sent its latest missile over Japan before it landed in the sea on Tuesday.
North Korea described the latest launch as a "muscle-flexing" response to provocative joint US-South Korean military drills on the peninsula which act as a show of military might to the North.
However, it did not target waters off the US territory of Guam as it had previously threatened to do.
Mr Trump had initially responded by reiterating that "all options are on the table" when it comes to dealing with the state and has repeatedly stressed that he is ready to use military options.
Mr Trump has been criticised for continuing to heat up tensions in the region in a personal battle of wills with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
He has also been contradicted by senior officials in his own administration who have insisted that talks are the best way forward.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Wednesday told reporters,"We're never out of diplomatic solutions," and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson had hinted at possible direct talks between the two countries.
The latest remarks are likely to add to confusion over official US policy over how beat to deal with the nuclear threat posed by North Korea.