Top general says US is ready to use 'rapid, lethal force' on North Korea

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Photo/AP

A top US general has called North Korea "the most urgent threat to regional stability" following the rogue regime's second ICBM test.

"If called upon, we are ready to respond with rapid, lethal, and overwhelming force at a time and place of our choosing," General Terrence J. O'Shaughnessy, Pacific Air Forces commander, said Saturday.

"Diplomacy remains the lead. However, we have a responsibility to our allies and our nation to showcase our unwavering commitment while planning for the worst-case scenario," O'Shaughnessy said.

The general's remarks came as the US flew two B-1 supersonic heavy bombers over the Korean Peninsula on Sunday in a show of force against North Korea, according to Daily Mail.

The bombers were escorted by South Korean fighter jets as they performed a low-pass over an air base near the South Korean capital of Seoul before returning to Andersen Air Force Base in Guam, the US Pacific Air Forces said in a statement.

It said the mission was a response to North Korea's two ICBM tests this month.

North Korea on Friday tested a Hwasong-14 for the second time this month, reaching an altitude and distance in the test that defense experts believe indicate the missile could reach the continental United States, including Los Angeles and Chicago.

That would leave North Korea only the technical challenge of miniaturizing a nuclear warhead that could withstand reentry in order to back leader Kim Jong Un's incessant nuclear threats against the US.

US Vice President Mike Pence said Sunday during a visit to Estonia that the US and its allies plan to increase pressure on North Korea to end its nuclear program.

"The continued provocations by the rogue regime in North Korea are unacceptable and the United States of America is going to continue to marshal the support of nations across the region and across the world to further isolate North Korea economically and diplomatically," Pence said.

"But the era of strategic patience is over."

"The president of the United States is leading a coalition of nations to bring pressure to bear until that time that North Korea will permanently abandon its nuclear and ballistic missile program," Pence said.