President Donald Trump has labeled North Korea a « problem » country and says it will be dealt with through a broad…
WASHINGTON —
President Donald Trump has labeled North Korea a “problem” country and says it will be dealt with through a broad — and vague — set of options. It may be up to his vice president, Mike Pence, to fill in the details when he arrives in Asia.
Pence will be diving into a tense standoff along the Korean Peninsula with visits to South Korea and Japan beginning Sunday. His travels to the Asia-Pacific region come amid indications that North Korea is potentially preparing its sixth nuclear test in a decade or a significant missile launch, such as its first flight test of an intercontinental ballistic missile.
Trump, who has proven to be unpredictable on foreign policy, has responded to the recent concerns over North Korea with a swagger that suggests a new, tougher stance. Asked about North Korea this week, he told reporters: “North Korea is a problem. The problem will be taken care of.” He has repeatedly declared that if China, North Korea’s dominant trading partner, isn’ t willing to do more to squeeze the North, the U. S. might take the matter into its own hands.
The remarks came with a show of military might, as an aircraft carrier head to waters off the Korean Peninsula. However, military officials have said the U. S. doesn’ t intend to use military force against North Korea in response to either a nuclear test or a missile launch.
Tough rhetoric aside, Trump’s advisers have chosen a policy that appears to hew to that of the Obama administration.
After a two-month policy review, officials settled on a policy dubbed “maximum pressure and engagement, ” U. S. officials said Friday. The administration’s immediate emphasis, the officials said, will be on increasing pressure on Pyongyang with the help of Beijing.
