South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff(JCS) are seeking clarification on remarks made Tuesday by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.

Tillerson revealed the U.S. had given China assurances that its military forces would pull back to the south of the 38th parallel in the event of a conflict with the North or other military contingency. He said securing North Korea's nuclear weapons capabilities would be the only aim of such an incursion.
 
JCS Spokesman Army Colonel Roh Jae-cheon told reporters it’s important to determine the background and intention behind the remarks. 
 
He responded to questions about possible unilateral U.S. military action in the North by saying the joint South Korea-U.S. preparedness to defend the Korean Peninsula remains solid.