Tillerson opened up his six-day official trip to Asia announcing that the US would consider "all options" to deal with the circumstances that could evolve on the Korean Peninsula, including arming regional allies with nukes.
According to Tillerson, the long drawn policy of "strategic patience" toward North Korea has to stop and give way to a more effective approach to halt the regime's advancing nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

"If they elevate the threat of their weapons program to a level we believe requires action that option is on the table," he told reporters.

The Secretary of State, however, emphasized that the US didn't want tensions to escalate to a military conflict and that the suspension of North Korea's weapons programs would negate any thought or need for its neighbors to develop their own nukes.