As Mattis peers into North Korea he gets warning on artillery
Jim Mattis
DEMILITARIZED ZONE  South Korea (Reuters) - As U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis peered into North Korea from a lookout post on Friday  he was given a blunt reminder by his South Korean counterpart of the vast amount of North Korean artillery within range of Seoul.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo visit the truce village of Panmunjom  South Korea October 27  2017. Yonhap/via REUTERS
 Mattis  was keen to emphasize efforts to peacefully resolve the crisis  including at the DMZ  as  he  addressed reporters with  his  back to the dividing line between North and South.
“Our goal is not war  but rather the complete  verifiable  and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula ”  Mattis  said  as North Korean soldiers kept watch.
 Mattis  said  he  and Song also made clear their mutual commitment “to a diplomatic solution to address North Korea’s reckless  outlaw behavior ” when they met this week at a gathering of Asian defense chiefs in the Philippines.
 He  carried that same message after  his  helicopter flight back to Seoul  where  he  addressed a small group of U.S. and South Korean soldiers.
“It comes down to you to make it work  my fine young troops ... and we’ll buy time for our diplomats to solve this problem ”  he  said.
The emphasis on diplomacy came before Trump departs next week on a trip to Asia.  He  has declined to say whether  he  will visit the DMZ when  he  stops in South Korea  telling reporters on Wednesday: “You’ll be surprised.”
As  Mattis  at one point met some of the roughly 28 000 American forces stationed in South Korea   he  said the role of U.S. and South Korean troops was essential.
DEMILITARIZED ZONE  South Korea (Reuters) - As [TGT] peered into North Korea from a lookout post on Friday  [TGT] was given a blunt reminder by [TGT] South Korean counterpart of the vast amount of North Korean artillery within range of Seoul.
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo visit the truce village of Panmunjom  South Korea October 27  2017. Yonhap/via REUTERS
 [TGT]was keen to emphasize efforts to peacefully resolve the crisis  including at the DMZ  as  [TGT]  addressed reporters with  [TGT]  back to the dividing line between North and South.
“Our goal is not war  but rather the complete  verifiable  and irreversible denuclearization of the Korean peninsula ”  [TGT]  said  as North Korean soldiers kept watch.
 [TGT]said  [TGT]  and Song also made clear their mutual commitment “to a diplomatic solution to address North Korea’s reckless  outlaw behavior ” when they met this week at a gathering of Asian defense chiefs in the Philippines.
 He  carried that same message after  his  helicopter flight back to Seoul  where  he  addressed a small group of U.S. and South Korean soldiers.
“It comes down to you to make it work  my fine young troops ... and we’ll buy time for our diplomats to solve this problem ”  he  said.
The emphasis on diplomacy came before Trump departs next week on a trip to Asia.  He  has declined to say whether  he  will visit the DMZ when  he  stops in South Korea  telling reporters on Wednesday: “You’ll be surprised.”
As  Mattis  at one point met some of the roughly 28 000 American forces stationed in South Korea   he  said the role of U.S. and South Korean troops was essential.