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Pentagon Hopeful for Diplomatic Reboot With North Korea

Jeff Seldin

   The United States is ready for a fight with North Korea over the
   country's nuclear program, though top officials at the Pentagon say
   they are hopeful such a confrontation can be avoided.

   Pyongyang set an end-of-year deadline for Washington to offer new
   concessions in talks aimed at getting North Korea to abandon its
   nuclear program.

   North Korean officials have also warned they will send the U.S. a
   "Christmas gift" if concessions are not forthcoming.

   But U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper rebuffed Pyongyang's saber
   rattling Friday, warning the U.S. is prepared to fight and win "if need
   be."

   "We think that a political solution is the best way forward to
   denuclearize the peninsula," Esper told reporters during an end-of-year
   news conference at the Pentagon.