U.S. promises action on any North Korea missile test - White House

By Doina Chiacu

 

FILE PHOTO: North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un sits in his vehicle after arriving at a railway station in Dong Dang, Vietnam, at the border with China, February 26, 2019. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

 

 

 

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States would be very disappointed if North Korea tested a long-range or nuclear missile and would take appropriate action as a leading military and economic power, White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien said on Sunday.

 

Washington has many "tools in its tool kit" to respond to any such test, O'Brien said in an interview with ABC's "This Week."

 

"We'll reserve judgment but the United States will take action as we do in these situations," he said. "If Kim Jong Un takes that approach we'll be extraordinarily disappointed and we'll demonstrate that disappointment."

 

North Korea has asked Washington to offer a new initiative to iron out differences over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program. It warned Washington this month that failure to meet its expectations could result in an unwanted "Christmas gift."

 

U.S. military commanders have said the North Korean move could involve the testing of a long-range missile - something North Korea has suspended, along with nuclear bomb tests, since 2017.

 

O'Brien said the United States and North Korea had open channels of communication but did not elaborate. He said Washington hoped North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would live up to his commitments to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula.

 

The United States was still the leading military power in the world and had tremendous economic power, said O'Brien. "There's a lot of pressure that we can bring to bear," he said.

 

North Korea threatened a Christmas surprise, despite the fact that Trump and Kim have engaged in personal diplomacy over the years and have a good personal relationship, O'Brien said.

 

"So perhaps he's reconsidered that," O'Brien added. "But we will have to wait and see. We're going to monitor it closely. It's a situation that concerns us, of course."

 

Kim convened a meeting of top ruling party officials on Saturday to discuss important policy matters ahead of the year-end deadline set by Kim for the United States, the state news agency said on Sunday.

 

Senator Ben Cardin, a Democrat on the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said meetings between the two leaders have produced "very little" on denuclearization.

 

"So what I want to see, I want to see is the leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, make a full declaration of his nuclear weapons program and make a real commitment to start to dismantle that," he said. "We haven’t seen any of that during the Trump administration."

 

(Reporting by Doina Chiacu; Additional reporting by Lindsay Dunsmuir; Editing by Rosalba O'Brien and Tom Brown)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2019-12-30

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That’s what you should have done a long time ago trump 

Kim loves me and I love Kim.

Trump has been making threats for a long time now. Before Kim bought him off with some high end chocolates and a few well placed compliments, which began a bromance affair, he was calling Kim all kinds of names and making all kinds of threats. Then with one meeting it went from enemy #1, to a man I know really well, and really like. He will do what I ask, because he really likes me. Well, how did that work out Don Donald? Now, he continues with his inane threats. About the only option the US has, is to increase the sanctions. How well has that worked out? 

 

There is no military option. Any military move could end in utter disaster for the US. The US has spent 75 years downplaying the capacity of their enemies, yet has not won a single war of any consequence, since 1945. The largest military in the world does not mean much in this age of cyber warfare. I do not think the goons in Washington get that yet. 

Another love letter from Trump will pacify Kim. 

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

Trump has been making threats for a long time now. Before Kim bought him off with some high end chocolates and a few well placed compliments, which began a bromance affair, he was calling Kim all kinds of names and making all kinds of threats. Then with one meeting it went from enemy #1, to a man I know really well, and really like. He will do what I ask, because he really likes me. Well, how did that work out Don Donald? Now, he continues with his inane threats. About the only option the US has, is to increase the sanctions. How well has that worked out? 

 

There is no military option. Any military move could end in utter disaster for the US. The US has spent 75 years downplaying the capacity of their enemies, yet has not won a single war of any consequence, since 1945. The largest military in the world does not mean much in this age of cyber warfare. I do not think the goons in Washington get that yet. 

Agree. More sanctions are an option though the people that have influence in NK won't suffer, it'll be the North Korean people who will starve. (not that anyone in the west gives a **** about these peoples lives) I don't believe the US would attack under the shadow the the dragon, would not be a good ending..  

Off topic deflection posts and replies have been removed. 

What sanctions are left to be imposed ?  I want to know what is not sanctioned already ?  

2 hours ago, from the home of CC said:

Agree. More sanctions are an option though the people that have influence in NK won't suffer, it'll be the North Korean people who will starve. (not that anyone in the west gives a **** about these peoples lives) I don't believe the US would attack under the shadow the the dragon, would not be a good ending..  

Try to understand that bi-lateral sanctions will not work as China doesn’t recognize nor support. Trump need to involve other relevant allies and abandon his ego trip doing by himself. 

18 hours ago, Eric Loh said:

Try to understand that bi-lateral sanctions will not work as China doesn’t recognize nor support. Trump need to involve other relevant allies and abandon his ego trip doing by himself. 

Trump abandoning his ego, and involving his allies? First of all, most of his allies have been alienated by his extreme hubris, arrogance and insults. So, do you think they are in a mood to help him get re-elected? Next, has he ever stepped back from his giant ego, and made a decision that is good for the people? We have to suffer through 12 more months, and then he is gone, baby gone.