Trump: North Korea Should Be Dealt With Rapidly

Says US Has 'Many Options' on Handling the Country

Following meetings with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, President Trump once again declared North Korea to be “a problem,” insisting that he wants the isolated nation “dealt with rapidly.” Moon did not elaborate of the North Korea issue, but had previously been seen as an advocate of diplomacy.

Trump isn’t a big fan of diplomacy, especially so far as North Korea goes, and while he insisted that the US has “many options” at their disposal, National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster only yesterday confirmed that every option drawn up involves the US attacking North Korea militarily.

That President Trump is open to unilaterally attacking North Korea is itself hardly news, as he’s discussed little else when the issue comes up, except to excoriate diplomacy as the “failed” method of past administrations. Recent reports suggest he’s feeling more of a time crunch on this, however, and might be looking to start this huge war fairly quickly.

South Korea and China had both been said in recent weeks to have presented the Trump Administration a diplomatic resolution, but to have been dismissed out of hand, with the administration ruling out any deal that reduces the “military pressure” on North Korea.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.