매티스 "北 미사일위협 매우 심각히 여겨…수일, 수주 내 진전"

James Mattis is in China.
It's the first stop in the U.S. defense chief's Asia tour,.... which includes South Korea and Japan.
National Security Advisor John Bolton also travelled out of the country.
He's in Russia to discuss a possible Washington-Moscow summit.
Lee Ji-won starts us off with the diplomatic efforts to discuss various issues including North Korea.
U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis arrived in China on Tuesday and met with Chinese State Councilor and Minister of National Defense Wei Fenghe on Wednesday to exchange issues of common concern. This is Mattis first visit to China, as well as the first time a U.S. defense chief visits Beijing since 2014.

Wei said Mattis' visit will help facilitate healthy interactions and promote mutual trust between the two militaries.
The Pentagon chief said that the military to military relationship is critical to the broader relationship between their two countries and expressed his hopes that the rest of his talks in China will be as "open and honest" as the talks he had with Wei.

Mattis is also expected to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping later in the day, where the topics of North Korea's denuclearization and the developments on the Korean Peninsula are expected to top the agenda.

At a press conference in Alaska on Tuesday, before heading to China, Mattis told reporters that North Korea's ballistic missile capabilities still exist today, and that the U.S. takes them "very seriously".
But he added that for now,... there is full support for the diplomats who are trying to solve the issue, namely U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton,... and that the U.S. will see progress in the days and weeks ahead.

Mattis is expected to travel to Seoul on Thursday for talks with South Korean Defense Minister Song Young-moo, before heading to Japan the next day.

Meanwhile,... Security Adviser John Bolton is expected in Moscow on Wednesday for talks with his Russian counterpart and possibly with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin said on Tuesday the two diplomats will talk about international security and stability, disarmament, regional problems and bilateral ties.
This is seen as an effort to pave the way for a possible summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russia's President Putin.
Bolton is due to give a news conference Wednesday afternoon, local time, on the outcome of his visit, and possibly on the details of the possible U.S.-Russia summit.
Lee Ji-won, Arirang News.