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.”
Subscribe to 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).
“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.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
6 charming homes for the whimsical
Feature Featuring a 1924 factory-turned-loft in San Francisco and a home with custom murals in Yucca Valley
By The Week Staff Published
-
Big tech's big pivot
Opinion How Silicon Valley's corporate titans learned to love Trump
By Theunis Bates Published
-
Stacy Horn's 6 favorite works that explore the spectrum of evil
Feature The author recommends works by Kazuo Ishiguro, Anthony Doerr, and more
By The Week US Published
-
Ukraine captures first North Korean soldiers
Speed Read Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted videos of the men captured in Russia's Kursk region
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Is South Korea's young democracy under threat?
Today's Big Question Attempts to arrest the impeached President Yoon have shown the 'erosion of the rule of law'
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
What will happen in 2025? Predictions and events
The Explainer The new year could bring further chaos in the Middle East and an intensifying AI arms race – all under the shadow of a second Donald Trump presidency
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
People of the year 2024
In the Spotlight Remember the people who hit the headlines this year?
By The Week UK Published
-
Why Assad fell so fast
The Explainer The newly liberated Syria is in an incredibly precarious position, but it's too soon to succumb to defeatist gloom
By The Week UK Published
-
Romania's election rerun
The Explainer Shock result of presidential election has been annulled following allegations of Russian interference
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Russia's shadow war in Europe
Talking Point Steering clear of open conflict, Moscow is slowly ratcheting up the pressure on Nato rivals to see what it can get away with.
By The Week UK Published
-
Cutting cables: the war being waged under the sea
In the Spotlight Two undersea cables were cut in the Baltic sea, sparking concern for the global network
By The Week UK Published