Canada, January 18: United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has stressed upon the fact that the threat of a war with North Korea is growing despite Pyongyang's recent diplomatic talks with South Korean officials.

"We all need to be very sober and clear-eyed about the current situation ... We have to recognize that the threat is growing and if North Korea does not choose the pathway of engagement, discussion, negotiation, then they themselves will trigger an option," the Bloomberg quoted, Tillerson as saying.

"Our approach is, in terms of having North Korea chose the correct step, is to present them with what is the best option - talks are the best option; that when they look at the military situation, that's not a good outcome for them," he added.

Tillerson spoke in Vancouver, where top diplomats from 20 nations gathered to explore new ways to enforce sanctions and choke off North Korea's economy. Tillerson, in his remarks, discarded any proposal calling for a "freeze" on US-South Korean military exercises in order to get talks initiated, a recommendation repetitively made by China and Russia.

According to the reports, the Secretary of State was also questioned about the likelihood of a limited military strike against North Korea before they are able to perfect their missile technology. However, he refused to speak on the topic, insisting that he would not speak on the undecided issues.