Tillerson says U.S. ready to talk whenever DPRK is ready

File photo of US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. [Photo: Xinhua]

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson is suggesting Washington was prepared to talk to Pyongyang whenever it takes the right steps to create the conditions for talks.

In making the suggestion, Tillerson says Pyongyang must me be ready to make a choice to change course on its nuclear and missile programs.

"So we need the DPRK to come to the table for talks. We are ready to talk any time they are ready to talk. But they have to come to the table, an and they have to come to the table with a view that they do want to make a different choice," Tillerson says.

In a speech to a Washington think tank, Tillerson also says U.S. military preparedness to respond to any North Korean threat is strong.

He says the US armed forces have been ordered to have a "full range of contingencies available."

Tillerson has previously expressed a desire to use channels of communication with Pyongyang.

However, his boss, US President Donald Trump, has told him he would be wasting his time.