WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would prefer to avoid military action to deal with North Korea’s nuclear threat, but said previous diplomatic efforts have failed to pressure Pyongyang from developing its missiles.

“Military action would certainly be an option. Is it inevitable? Nothing is inevitable,” Trump said during a news conference.

“I would prefer not going the route of the military,” Trump said. “If we do use it on North Korea, it will be a very sad day for North Korea.”