Firing a Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan Aug. 28, North Korean dictator Jim Jong-un continued to flout U.N. resolutions to cease-and-desist all nuke and ballistic missiles. President Donald Trump warned Kim Aug. 8 about “fire-and-fury” if Kim doesn’t stop threatening the U.S. or its allies. Kim’s missile launch over Japan triggered sirens and panic on Hokkadio Island, prompting harsh warnings from Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Kim expressed delight with the missile launch saying he was “very satisfied with the performance of the missile.” Calling the Hwasong-12 “ultra-modern rocket system,” Kim boasted about his ballistic missiles, warning the U.S. not to mess with North Korea. North Korean state media called the launch “the first step of the military operation of the [North Korean military] in the Pacific and a meaningful prelude to containing Guam.”
Pushing the North Korean Peninsula to the brink, Kim’s missile launch prompted condemnations in the U.N Security Council, including Russia who insisted Pyongyang abide by U.N. Security Council resolutions. There’s no U.N. mechanism to force Pyongyang into compliance, putting the enforcement burden squarely on the U.S. Hearing that Guam was back in the crosshairs, Guam’s Homeland Security Adviser George Charfauros said there’s been no change in the island’s security alert “We knew, based on North Korea, and its allies, we can expect rhetoric and activity in North Korea.” With 3,430 km [2,131 miles] between Pyongyang and Guam, it’s doubtful Kim has the capacity to hit the U.S. territory. Any attempt by Kim to launch intermediate or Intercontinential Ballistic Missiles [ICBM] at Guam, or any other U.S. ally or territory, would trigger a U.S. response.
Suggestions that Trump was bluffing when he warned North Korea about “fire-and-fury” weren’t listening to Defense Secretary James “Mad Dog” Mattis when he warned Pyongyang Aug. 9 about regime change and destruction of the North Korean people. Once thought unthinkable by generations of U.S. presidents, Trump’s the first one to tell Kim that if he continues threatening the U.S. or its allies he’ll face the full-force of the U.S. military. While Kim likes to boast about his million-man plus army, at least half the military are women rumored malnourished. When it comes to Trump disarming North Korea, there’s no bluff about using military force. If there’s no way to stop Kim’s nukes and ballistic missiles through diplomacy, the Pentagon must work on a plan to stop Kim militarily. Whatever happened with past U.S. diplomacy with North Korea, letting Kim keep his nukes and ballistic missiles doesn’t work.
Stepping up its diplomacy on North Korea, China and Russia expressed exasperation with their communist trading partner. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned North Korea in Abu Dhabi yesterday about ignoring U.N. Security Council resolutions. While China and Russia want to keep a buffer from South Korea on the Korean Peninsula, they know the time has come when North Korea can no longer shoot off ballistic missiles with impunity. Monday’s Hwasong-12 launch over Japan rattled the U.N. Security Council whose Aug. 5 sanctions have been completely ignored. Even North Korea’s old allies, China and Russia, have lost patience with Kim. Trump said today “all options are on the table,” letting Kim know that he’s getting close to the point-of-no-return when it comes to U.S. military action. Firing the missile over Japan crossed a dangerous line.
When the U.S., South and North Korea signed an armistice July 27, 1953, China and Russia played an integral role in battling the U.S. to a standoff. With trillions in trade with the U.S., China’s in no position to defend Pyongyang against a U.S. attack. Chinese President Xi Jingping worries that toppling Kim’s regime could result in refugee crisis across the Chinese border. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson reassured China that the U.S. doesn’t seek reunification, something strongly opposed by Beijing. Whatever trade China has with North Korea, it’s minute in comparison to trade with the U.S. “The world has received North Korea’s latest message lout and clear: This regime has signaled its contempt for its neighbors, for all members of the United Nations, and for minimum standards of acceptable international behavior,” said Trump, heaping pressure on Pyongyang to back down.
Ordinarily peace-minded South Korean President Moon Jae-in instructed his generals to draw up plans for a “decapitation strike” on Pyongyang. Moon’s gotten much closer to Trump’s position that North Korean cannot be allowed to develop a nuclear-ready ICBM. Security Council President Egyptian Amb. Abdelallaif Aboulatta said North Korea was “deliberately undermining regional peace and stability,” calling on Pyongyang to abide by Security Council resolutions. Calling Kim’s missile launch over Japan “the most serious and grave threat ever,” Japanese Prime Minister Abe called on the Security Council to take more steps to rein-in Pyongyang. Shooting missiles into the Pacific Ocean is reckless behavior but doesn’t yet qualify as an attack on a U.S. ally. Kim knows how far he can push without dire consequence. More provocations could push things to the brink.
