When asked about North Korea’s latest missile tests at his first press conference, President Biden warned there would be a “response” if Pyongyang chooses to “escalate” the situation.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said North Korea launched two ballistic missiles on Thursday. “UN Resolution 1718 was violated by those particular missiles that were tested,” Biden said at Thursday’s press conference.
UN Resolution 1718 sanctioned North Korea for its nuclear and ballistic missile program. Last weekend, Pyongyang launched two short-range missiles that are not under UN sanctions, which the US downplayed as “normal activity.”
Biden also said he is prepared for “some form of diplomacy” with North Korea but that it must be conditioned on the “denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula. The demand for denuclearization is likely a non-starter for talks with Pyongyang.
When asked if he agrees with President Obama’s assessment that North Korea is the most important foreign policy issue, Biden responded, “Yes,” but did not elaborate.
Pyongyang’s missile tests came after Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin made threatening comments towards North Korea during a visit to Seoul last Thursday. Austin said US and South Korean forces were ready to “fight tonight.” His remarks came after Pyongyang denounced Washington and Seoul’s decision to resume military exercises after a one-year pause due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Do not go poking this particular snake with too many sticks. He is a little bit wackey already. Probably better to let him stew in his own dreams than bring him down with threats & challenges. So he won’t need to up his gamesmanship
to come up with some new offensive system or event. They currently have enough hostages to make the peaceful status quo more desirable than gloves off open tit for tat confrontation. Enjoy this honey moon time to work with partners for a good way to get free of any pressure to do “something” or anything that has a low chance of good outcome. Better to sit and wait for some change or movement that presents some good oppertunity. These confrontations have a long history and likely will not be solved in a day, week or month. They will be solved when the right convergence of attitude and events present a propitious path forward. Till then we should be alert conscious and ready to seiz the ideal moment, if it come to transcend this current stalemate.
North Korea is a most useful weapon in China’s arsenal. Another huge military/political challenge for the USA at a very low cost to China. There will be no resolution of the North Korean “crisis”; neither the Chinese nor the North Koreans want or need a “solution”. The Chinese are playing Uncle Sam like a violin.