North Korea said on Saturday it aims to reach an “equilibrium” of military force with the United States, which earlier signaled that its patience for diplomacy is wearing thin after Pyongyang fired a missile over Japan for the second time in under a month.
“Our final goal is to establish the equilibrium of real force with the US and make the US rulers dare not talk about military options,” North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un was quoted as saying by the state news agency, KCNA.
Kim was shown beaming as he watched the missile fly from a moving launcher in photos released by the agency, surrounded by several officials.
“The combat efficiency and reliability of Hwasong-12 were thoroughly verified,” said Kim, as quoted by KCNA. Kim added that the North‘s goal of completing its nuclear force had “nearly reached the terminal”.
North Korea has launched dozens of missiles under Kim’s leadership as it accelerates a weapons program designed to give it the ability to target the United States with a powerful, nuclear-tipped missile.
After the latest missile launch on Friday, White House National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster said the United States was fast running out of patience with North Korea‘s missile and nuclear programs.
“We’ve been kicking the can down the road, and we’re out of road,” McMaster told reporters, referring to Pyongyang’s repeated missile tests in defiance of international pressure.
“For those … who have been commenting on a lack of a military option, there is a military option,” he said, adding that it would not be the Trump administration’s preferred choice.
Also on Friday, the UN Security Council condemned the “highly provocative” missile launch by North Korea.
It had already stepped up sanctions against North Korea in response to a nuclear bomb test on September 3, imposing a ban on North Korea‘s textile exports and capping its imports of crude oil.
The US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, echoed McMaster’s strong rhetoric, even as she said Washington’s preferred resolution to the crisis is through diplomacy and sanctions.
“What we are seeing is, they are continuing to be provocative, they are continuing to be reckless and at that point there’s not a whole lot the Security Council is going to be able to do from here, when you’ve cut 90% of the trade and 30% of the oil,” Haley said.
US President Donald Trump said that he is “more confident than ever that our options in addressing this threat are both effective and overwhelming.” He said at Joint Base Andrews near Washington that North Korea “has once again shown its utter contempt for its neighbours and for the entire world community.”
USA has an obligation to adopt the diplomatic proposals by Russia and China in return for their support for additional sanctions on North Korea. How can there be progress towards peace if USA continues its beligerent threats against North Korea?
Recent history has shown that the only way any middle sized country can defend itself from US aggressiveness is by having nuclear weapons and the means to deliver them. Vietnam had no such weapons, and the US killed over one million Vietnamese before it was forced to withdraw. If Vietnam had had such weapons there wouldn’t have been any Vietnam war and incredible suffering would have been spared to the Vietnamese people. Libya and Iraq had no nuclear weapons and they were widely destroyed by western forces, with hundreds of thousands civilians being killed by the US. The US keeps threatening countries which do not possess nuclear weapons – Iran and Venezuela – and no one does anything to stop them. One criticizes North Korea, but who would step forward to defend NK if it is attacked by the US? If the US attacks NK, what will the UN do? What can the UN do? So, Kim Jong-un is quite correct in wanting nuclear forces strong enough to make the US think twice before attacking. If more countries had nuclear weapons, the US would be a lot quieter, peace would prevail and we would see the end of imperialism.
Over 3 million and not 1 million Vietnamese were killed
The little "Fat Boy" Kim ( I wonder how many people in Nort Korea are overweight-I bet its not many) loves to play with the Western Fair Maiden—–the SCUM, corrupt, in the bag Mainstream Media——-a hermit Country without its homie China——–would not even exist———–gets all this press——–my solution is the American troops leave the Peninsula—-South Korea and China make a deal and split the country in two——-South Korea is extended to Pyghgyong and China gets the rest of North Korea to the Yalu River——–that is a simple way of getting rid of the Kim family and both China and South Korea are winners!!
I support the idea of removing all American soldiers and American military equipment out of Korea. As for the rest, just leave it to the Koreans to sort it out by themselves. The Koreans are intelligent and wise people. They will know what is best for them to do.
Ken Nguyen,
Americans are murderers, torturers, liars, cheaters and robbers. They have also killed hundreds of thousand Laotians and Cambodians. And they used napalm and Agent Orange.
No need to kill, create atmostphere to kill each other, 1965 Indonesia is a model to do so.
If China get rid of Kim, US will defend him and supply weapon
Dont worry it will get worse before it gets better, Jesus is the King of Kings
So which ‘silver spoon’ narcissistic baby with crazy hair and no sense of reality will ‘cave first’ and create WWIII due to each having problems with ‘the size of their hands’, and not getting their extra scoop of ice cream?
Does this US led UN has any right to impose any restriction on anyone ? They are full with those sins, now they are condeming NK which for.
Anyway, the next favourite spot of America will be the Fatty PIG of NK. And very soon, this fatty pig’s meat and blood will be shared amongst the Korean Peninsula peoples. Remember, American soldiers will never give up their treatment worse than Saddam and Binladin and shortly the whole world will see the real drama of this Fatty PIG.
Agreed sir. US wants its hegemonic power preveiled but NK does let US’s dream be realized. NK does not seem discouraged by UN sanctions rather it is constantly becoming more aggressive towards these sanctions. While America finds no way to escape and has no options without slapping sanctions by the help of so-called peace keeping world body [U.N] which dances on the drams of US.
"WAR ISSUES", from the past since the world began, EUROPE & Middle East recorded mostly of Empires conquered Empire.. through sword & spears they killed each other.
AMERICA from the BOOK OF MORMON, recorded the same issues.. the remnant was the native Red Indians… as evidence.
Among these recorded War, America shown a tremendous development of warfare,where in GOD put to the mind of brilliant American scientist and inventors the formula of these Super Power Bomb then took an edge to win the war around the world. That’s the reason why USA became the Super Power Country. The question is??? Why God put the formula to the people of America? I am a Filipino, but in my opinion and feelings, American people regardless of color or race are became righteous people, after the internal conflict between them or the Civil War. They don’t conquer, the nations of the world freely offer to join USA in declaring Freedom or Liberty.
I’m imagining the FORMULA of these BOMB if did not start to USA??? the world is in chaos.
The USA for me is a "LIBERATOR", "NEUTRALIZER", and "DEFENDER"…nothing more…. America the Beautiful….
A useless body.. World-destroying body, not peave-keeping body. Keeping war not peace. I find tthem useless. Why rohingya ethnic cleaning, destroy Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Afghanistan, and now threatening north Korea and venezeula of Regime change…