Trump Slams North Korea Missile Launch During Poland Visit: ‘Something Will Have To Be Done About It’
President Donald Trump took North Korea to task in a press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda on Thursday.
“It's a shame they're behaving this way -- they’re behaving in a very, very dangerous manner and something will have to be done about it,” said Trump about North Korea and their test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) on the Fourth of July.
READ: Why Does China Support North Korea? US Says It Would Limit Trade Deals With Nations Supporting Pyongyang
Trump was also asked about military options with the country.
“As far as North Korea is concerned, I don't know, we will see what happens,” Trump said. “I have some pretty severe things that we are thinking about. That doesn't mean we are going to do it. I don't draw red lines.”
Trump didn’t elaborate on what the tactics could be. The missile has a range of 3,400 miles and is capable of hitting Alaska according to U.S. officials, CNN reported Thursday.
In response to the ICBM launch, the U.S.in a joint exercise with South Korea conducted a missile test-fire of their own off South Korea’s east coast.
“Self-restraint, which is a choice, is all that separates armistice and war,” cautioned General Vincent Brooks, the U.S. commander in South Korea in a statement Wednesday.
Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, met with her counterparts at a special U.N. Security Council meeting Wednesday to discuss the issue.
“The U.S. is prepared to use the full range of our capabilities to defend ourselves and our allies,” said Haley.
Haley called on China to use economic methods to help control North Korea. Trump has also called for North Korea’s main trading partner, China, to help curb business with the country.
“Trade between China and North Korea grew almost 40% in the first quarter. So much for China working with us -- but we had to give it a try!” Trump tweeted Wednesday, prodding to China to do more to rein in Kim Jong Un.
Last week the U.S. announced sanctions against Chinese individuals and companies that do business with North Korea. After the missile launch, Chinese President Xi Jinping issued a joint statement with Vladimir Putin from Moscow where the two were meeting. The leaders called for a de-escalation on both sides. It called for North Korea to cease ballistic missile and nuclear weapons tests and for the U.S. to stop conducting large-scale joint military exercises with South Korea. They condemned North Korea’s test as “unacceptable.”
North Korea’s test is believed to be the longest they have ever shot a missile.
What to do next with the Kim regime and North Korea will be a topic of conversation as leaders gather in Germany for the G20 summit. North Korea has numerous pieces of artillery pointed at its neighbor South Korea and unknown nuclear capabilities. South Korea’s capital, Seoul, is situated close to the border and has a population of around 10 million people.
© Copyright IBTimes 2024. All rights reserved.