The President of the U.S, Donald Trump, with his S. Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-un. (Image via National Review)

Trump warns N. Korea after its 'important' missile test

Alfonsus Adi Putra
Politics & Economic
International
Dec 09, 2019
2046
Last weekend, North Korea (N. Korea) held a “very important” test. According to its state-run news agency, KCNA, N. Korea carried the test out at its Sohae satellite launch site, a place Pyongyang promised the United States (U.S) to close. When the U.S and N. Korea began the denuclearization talks, Sohae was dismantled.

However, it was reportedly rebuilt. Currently, South Korea (S. Korea) and the U.S are cooperating in monitoring Sohae, including Tongchang-ri, the region where Sohae is located. Regarding the test, KCNA referred to it as a “great success”.

What test did they do? N. Korea clammed up. One thing for sure, N. Korea said that the test will change their “strategic position” in the future.

Regarding the test, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, warned through his Sunday tweet that Kim Jong-un had too much to lose, if not, everything. Also, Trump reminded that he and Kim had signed the Denuclearization Agreement in Singapore.

Trump, upholding the “special friendship” with Kim, said that the N. Korean leader doesn’t want to interfere with the 2020 U.S Presidential Election with any projectiles. Any missile fired by N. Korea means another setback for Trump as he was seen unable to fulfill his denuclearization mission.

Persuading the resumption of denuclearization talks, Trump hailed N. Korea’s development under Kim’s hand yet reminded that denuclearization is required.

The U.S President even mentioned that China and Russia agreed with him.

In an interview, the U.S. National Security Advisor, Robert O’Brien, stated the same thing as Trump’s but with a different tone. O’Brien said that if N. Korea keeps being hostile and breaks its promise, the U.S has plenty of “tools in its toolkit”.

However, the missile experts doubted that it was a missile test. Had it been a missile test, shouldn’t Japan and S. Korea have detected it firsthand? Holding the test in Sohae, they guessed that the N. Korea was holding a static test on the new engine for its long-range rocket or intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).

Nevertheless, the missile experts warned that it might be another signal of what is awaiting the U.S after the New Year. N. Korea warned that if the U.S keeps on slacking; N. Korea will seek a “new path”.

O’Brien said that it would be a “mistake” from N. Korea to take a different path. Especially, the U.S wants N. Korea to keep its denuclearization promise.

The “very important” test might be another blow by the Supreme Leader of N. Korea, Kim Jong-un, against the stall in the denuclearization talks. N. Korea set the late December as the deadline for the U.S to finish the talks.

N. Korea’s ambassador for the United Nations (UN), Kim Sung, stated the unexpected that denuclearization is “off the negotiating table”.

Source: https://bit.ly/2DVKPlY

Politics , International , Military , Nuclear , Denuclearization , U.S , N.Korea , Donald-Trump , Kim-Jong-un