Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders has said that if elected he would be willing to meet with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) leader, Kim Jong Un, as President Donald Trump has done.

He also said would "absolutely" use the military if warranted, both to protect U.S. interests and to support its allies.

In an interview with CBS's "60 Minutes" airing Sunday, the senator, who scored a resounding victory Saturday in the Nevada presidential caucuses, was asked if he would follow Trump's example and meet with the DPRK leader.

"Yeah, I mean I've criticized Trump for everything..." he said.

"But meeting with people who are antagonistic is, to me, not a bad thing." 

Sanders added that he believed Trump was "unprepared" when he met with Kim last year in Hanoi, which collapsed in disagreement.

"But I do not have a problem with sitting down with adversaries all over the world." 

In a recent New York Times survey of the Democratic candidates, Sanders and fellow Senator Elizabeth Warren said they would continue Trump's personal diplomacy with Kim, but former vice president Joe Biden, former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg and Senator Amy Klobuchar said they would not.

Sanders, along with Biden and Bloomberg, also said he would consider using force to pre-empt an Iranian or DPRK's nuclear or missile test.

When asked in what circumstances he, as commander-in-chief, would deploy U.S. military forces.

He listed these criteria: "Threats against the American people, to be sure. Threats against our allies. I believe in NATO."

"I believe that the United States, everything being equal, should be working with other countries in alliance, not doing it alone."

(With input from AFP)