The U.S. military said last Tuesday that it "successfully intercepted an intercontinental ballistic missile target" in a test conducted amid concerns over the North's weapons program.
Mattis' remarks come as China builds up a series of artificial islands on shoals and reefs in contested waters in the South China Sea, which has sparked broad concern among its neighbors.
"We can not and will not accept unilateral, coercive changes to the status quo" in the South China Sea, he said.
North Korea's "ultra precision and diversified Juche Rocket" will continue to thunder and skyrocket in full blast in numbers and in succession until the USA and other like-minded countries take their "right choices", it added.
"We welcome USA policy to strengthen its position".
In a warning to China, the defense secretary expressed his intention to maintain the "freedom of navigation" operation - maritime patrols by US military vessels and other ships - in South China Sea waterways.
China's Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday that China is opposed to Pyongyang's missile launches and will support any new United Nations sanctions against the country.
The spokesperson also said that the U.S.is "sadly mistaken" if it thinks that such missile interception system can prevent nuclear strikes by the Strategic Force of the KPA.
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The measures imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on four entities and 14 officials, including the head of North Korea's overseas spying operations.
North Korea is accelerating its push to acquire a nuclear-armed missile capable of threatening the USA and other nations, and the United States regards this as a "clear and present danger", he said.
Pentagon chief Jim Mattis on Saturday criticized China's actions in the South China Sea, saying Beijing showed "contempt" for other nations' interests.
Dean further touched on Washington's military buildup in different parts of the world, including near the Russian border.
Longstanding partners are also mortified that Trump has seemed indifferent to traditional alliances, and have interpreted his pulling out of a trans-Pacific trade deal and the Paris climate accords as signs of broader American disengagement.
"The United States will continue to seek a peaceful, diplomatic resolution to this situation", US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley told the council after the vote.
Earlier to this official rejection, North Korea's mouthpiece, Rodong Sinmun, issued the deadly threat, warning Donald Trump's administration that America should save the lives of hundreds of millions of its citizens by stepping back from the alleged war that may lead to World War 3.
"There's going to be fresh approaches taken" to various issues by Trump, Mattis said, while making it clear that he personally believes the US needs to avoid isolationist tendencies. He insisted that the United States will "still be there", noting that the Trump administration will pursue "a fresh approach" while asking for patience from regional allies.
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