Donald Trump issues stark warning to North Korea
‘Do not underestimate us,’ US president tells Pyongyang

US President Donald Trump has used an address to South Korea’s parliament to issue a dire warning to North Korea over its continuing efforts to develop its nuclear weapons programme.
Trump urged all nations to join the US in isolating “the brutal regime of North Korea”. He said: “Today, I hope I speak not only for our countries, but for all civilised nations, when I say to the North: Do not underestimate us, and do not try us.”
The president also directly addressed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the speech, saying: “The weapons you are acquiring are not making you safer, they are putting your regime in grave danger.”
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“North Korea is a country ruled by a cult,” the president continued. “At the centre of this military cult is a deranged belief in the ruler’s destiny to rule as a parent protector over a conquered Korean Peninsula.”
Trump “cast himself as more willing than previous US presidents to use military force against Pyongyang should they continue threatening the United States and its allies”, says CNN.
He “warned Pyongyang that while it may have interpreted past restraint by the US as weakness, there was now a different US administration in place”, reports the BBC.
Earlier in the day, Trump was forced to cancel a “surprise” visit to the heavily fortified Korean demilitarised zone (DMZ).
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
“Marine One left Seoul at daybreak and flew most of the way to the DMZ, but was forced to turn back due to poor weather conditions,” according to ABC News.
Trump is in South Korea for a two-day visit, part of a longer tour of Asian nations that will see him arrive in China later today.
-
From Da Vinci to a golden toilet: a history of museum heists
In the Spotlight Following the ‘spectacular’ events at the Louvre, museums are ‘increasingly being targeted by criminal gangs’
-
Can Gen Z uprisings succeed where other protest movements failed?
Today's Big Question Apolitical and leaderless, youth-led protests have real power but are vulnerable to the strongman opportunist
-
The allegations of Christian genocide in Nigeria
The Explainer West African nation has denied claims from US senator and broadcaster
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime minister
In the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Can Gaza momentum help end the war in Ukraine?
Today's Big Question Zelenskyy’s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles hints at ‘warming relations’ between Ukraine and US
-
Remaking the military: Pete Hegseth’s war on diversity and ‘fat generals’
Talking Point The US Secretary of War addressed military members on ‘warrior ethos’
-
How does the Nobel Peace Prize work?
The Explainer Activist María Corina Machado wins prestigious prize, despite public campaign by Donald Trump
-
Israel, Hamas agree to first step of Trump peace plan
Speed Read Israel’s military pulls back in Gaza amid prisoner exchange
-
Israel and Hamas meet on hostages, Trump’s plan
Speed Read Hamas accepted the general terms of Trump’s 20-point plan, including the release of all remaining hostages
-
US tipped to help Kyiv strike Russian energy sites
Speed Read Trump has approved providing Ukraine with intelligence for missile strikes on Russian energy infrastructure
-
Netanyahu agrees to Trump’s new Gaza peace plan
Speed Read At President Trump's meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, they agreed upon a plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza