(April 2) Last month in South Korea, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson warned that a military option was still on the table in dealing with North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
The threats continue as President Donald Trump has declared that he would be willing to go it alone if China fails to alter North Korea's behavior. Trump saidin an interview: "China will either decide to help us with North Korea or they won't. If they do, that will be very good for China, and if they don't, it won't be good for anyone." Trump is scheduled to meet with Chinese president Xi Jinping in the U.S. He intends to bring the issue up.
The Chinese president may also bring up the deployment of the Thaad missile system in South Korea an act that both China and Russia see directed against them as discussed in a recent Digital Journal article.
Trump considers China is responsible for allowing North Korea to continue with its nuclear program. He said he intended to use trade as an "incentive" to talk China into fixing it. There is not the slightest thought that China might have any grievances with the U.S. actions in North Korea. Nor do the extensive war games of the U.S. with South Korea that apparently mimic a pre-emptive invasion of the North ever register as being regarded as a provocation by North Korea. Trump said in an interview: "If China is not going to solve North Korea, we will." When asked if he believed the U.S. could solve the problem on its own he said "totally". There was no mention of South Korea it would seem.
North Korea claimed to have tested a nuclear warhead last September and this year it has fired several missiles and tested a new rocket engine. U.S. defense officials claim that North Korea might be able to use the rocket engine it just tested to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile. Many South Koreans worry that the deployment of the U.S. missile defense system may endanger them as shown in the appended video of a demonstration from about six months ago.
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