After Secretary of State Rex Tillerson announced that the U.S. needed a different approach for dealing with North Korea, he’s giving more details. Speaking in front of reporters in Seoul, South Korea on Friday, Tillerson said the U.S. will not restart negotiations with North Korea to end its nuclear and missile programs, and the U.S. won’t rule out preemptive action if it comes down to it.
Tillerson also said that the U.S.’ previous “policy of strategic patience has ended” with North Korea. He also believes that denuclearizing is the only way to go, and The New York Times has a few plans in mind:
Instead, Mr. Tillerson referred vaguely to a “number of steps” the United States could take — a phrase that seemed to embrace much more vigorous enforcement of sanctions, ramping up missile defenses, cutting off North Korea’s oil, intensifying the cyberwar program and striking the North’s known missile sites. At a meeting of the “principals committee of the National Security Council on Monday, any discussion of military action was kicked down the road.
This stance from Tillerson may not totally come as a shock, as the New York Times notes that the former Exxon Mobil CEO may adopt tougher tactics with Chinese officials during his tour of Asia. And Trump seems to be in agreement, for he tweeted his dissatisfaction with North Korea on Friday Morning:
North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been "playing" the United States for years. China has done little to help!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 17, 2017
Once Tillerson meets with China, we may see a clearer picture of how the U.S. plans to deal with North Korea, along with how Trump will negotiate with other foreign adversaries.
(Via The New York Times)