N. Korea urged to end nuke standoff
SEOUL: United States President Donald Trump yesterday warned North Korea he was prepared to use the full range of US military power to stop any attack, but in a more conciliatory appeal than ever before, he urged Pyongyang to “make a deal” to end the nuclear standoff.
Speaking on North Korea’s doorstep during a visit here, Trump said while “we hope to God” not to have to use all of the US’ military might, he was ready to do whatever necessary to prevent the “North Korean dictator” from threatening millions of lives.
“We cannot allow North Korea to threaten all that we have built,” Trump said after talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, who has supported diplomatic outreach to Pyongyang.
But at times taking a more measured, less confrontational tone, Trump also urged North Korea to “do the right thing”, and said: “I do see some movement”, though he declined to elaborate.
“It really makes sense for North Koreas to come to the table and make a deal,” Trump said at a news conference with Moon.
Despite Trump’s renewed threats against North Korea, it was still a far cry from the more strident approach he has pursued in recent months, including his previous dismissal of any diplomatic efforts with Pyongyang as a waste of time.
Landing earlier at Osan Air Base near here, the president and First Lady Melania Trump stepped down from Air Force One onto a red carpet as he began a visit that could aggravate tension with North Korea.
The White House billed Trump’s trip as intended to demonstrate US resolve over a hardline approach to the North Korean nuclear and missile threats.
Trump praised Moon, hailing him for “great cooperation” despite differences over how to confront North Korea and over a trade pact between the US and South Korea.
Trump demanded a “free, fair, and reciprocal” trade deal with South Korea, calling their existing agreement “quite unsuccessful and not very good for the US”.
He slammed the five-year-old US-South Korea free trade agreement, known as KORUS, as a “horrible deal” and a “job killer”.
He threatened to pull out of KORUS, which could push the South closer into the economic orbit of China, already its biggest trading partner.
Washington initiated talks to revise the agreement, but they showed no sign of progress.