The United States supports President Park Geun-hye's "principled and firm" approach toward North Korea, the State Department said Wednesday, after Park outlined a hard-line policy she would take on Pyongyang.

"We support President Park's principled and firm approach toward North Korea," State Department spokesman Katina Adams said. "Her decisions reflect growing concern in the region about North Korea's growing threat and flagrant disregard of multiple UN Security Council resolutions.  We refer you to the ROK government for any additional information."

In an address to the National Assembly on Tuesday, Park defended her decision to shut down an inter-Korean industrial complex in the North's border city of Kaesong in response to the North's nuclear and missile tests, saying it was aimed at cutting off a major source of revenue that could be used in the North's weapons development.

She also vowed to take stronger and more effective measures to make Pyongyang recognize that its nuclear program "will only hasten its collapse," not ensure its survival. It marked the first time that Park has mentioned a regime collapse. (Yonhap)