White House Threatens Action If North Korea Tests Missiles

US would 'demonstrate disappointment' with North Korea

White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien has threatened “appropriate action” against North Korea if the nation carries out new missile tests. O’Brien added the US would be very disappointed, and would “demonstrate” that with their action.

This continues to be based on weeks of speculation of a Christmas surprise coming out of North Korea. Several days after Christmas, with no signs of anything being done, US officials are still threatening North Korea in case anything ever happens.

O’Brien didn’t say what the US would actually do, but said it has “tools in its tool kit” to do something if they want to, and that they’ll want to in response to tests which, again, were only mentioned in North Korean state media offhand once, and then for weeks in US media as a foregone conclusion that they were going to happen.

For now, there is no reason to expect North Korea is on the verge of any sort of test, except for all the talking about it that the media has been doing. Now, with media frenzy being coupled with US threats, there are still no signs what North Korea’s plans are, if any.

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.