As North Korea claimed the successful testing of a new kind of intercontinental ballistic missile that is capable of striking any part of US mainland, President Donald Trump asserted that the United States can “handle” the situation, remarking: “We’ll take care of it.”
The Pentagon confirmed that the missile fired on Tuesday went higher than previous attempts by Pyongyang, but maintained that the development did not pose a threat to the US, its territories or allies after a determination made by the North American Aerospace Defence Command.
“We will take care of it. It is a situation we will handle,” Trump told reporters in the Roosevelt room of the White House. Asked whether the launch was making him reconsider his strategy, Trump commented: “Nothing changed. … We have a very serious approach.”
In New York, the UN Security Council was slated to hold an emergency meeting later on Wednesday to deliberate on the latest threat posed by the Kim Jong-Un regime.
Defense Secretary James Mattis, after discussions with President Trump said the latest test pointed to North Korea’s determination to build missiles “that could threaten everywhere in the world, basically”.
“The bottom line is it is a continued effort to build a ballistic missile threat that endangers world peace, regional peace and certainly the United States,” he said.
Trump held separate discussions with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-In on the alliance’s response to the missile launch that impacted within Japan’s Exclusive Economic Zone. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to combat the North Korean threat.
In recent months, President Trump has repeatedly said military options are on the table to deal with North Korea, noting that time was running out for a diplomatic solution to the nuclear issue.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who has been a proponent of a diplomatic approach, strongly condemned Tuesday’s launch and called for redoubled international pressure on Pyongyang, but in the same breath he spoke of the continued US commitment to find a peaceful path to denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
“Diplomatic options remain viable and open, for now,” Tillerson commented, even while warning about limited US patience and made the case for the international community not only implementing all existing UN sanctions, but taking additional measures to enhance maritime security, including the right to interdict maritime traffic transporting goods to and from North Korea.
The ICBM launch was the first since September, and came despite repeated warnings from President Trump during this period when the US designated North Korea as a State sponsor of terrorism and announced its plan to slap further sanctions on the Kim Jong-Un regime.
After Trump’s call with Abe, a White House statement said, “The two leaders agreed that the North Korean regime’s provocative actions are undermining its security and further isolating it from the international community. The leaders reaffirmed their commitment to combat the North Korean threat.”
A readout of his call with Moon said, “Both leaders underscored the grave threat that North Korea’s latest provocation poses not only to the United States and the Republic of Korea, but to the entire world.” Reaffirming their strong condemnation of the reckless nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, they said, “These weapons only serve to undermine North Korea’s security and deepen its diplomatic and economic isolation.”