North Korea threatens ‘decisive’ action after US slams them for ‘counterproductive’ rocket tests
NORTH Korea has threatened the U.S. with 'decisive' action after an American diplomat slammed them over 'counterproductive' rocket tests.
The worrying exchange marked the latest setback in the U.S. bid to rid Kim Jong Un’s regime of nukes and comes as Kim’s self-imposed year-end deadline to receive American concessions approaches.
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft sparked the row yesterday at a Security Council meeting when she labelled the Hermit Kingdom’s renewed missile testing “deeply counterproductive.”
A North Korean spokesman hit back, saying: “U.S. did a foolish thing which will boomerang on it, and decisively helped us make a definite decision on what way to choose."
The exact nature of the ominous “decision” reached by the regime was not clear.
Pyongyang’s statement also blasted the Trump administration for a “bandit-like” attempt to completely de-fang North Korea.
The Hermit Kingdom has held 13 missile or rocket tests since May as part of a pressure campaign to force a more favorable deal for Kim’s regime.
The recent barbs emanating from both sides represents a marked departure from the historic summer summit in which Kim and President Donald Trump briefly stepped onto North Korean soil together.
But since that June 30 meeting, momentum has stalled as neither side appears willing to make enough compromises to get a deal done.
And while Pyongyang presses on with rocket research, aviation tracker Aircraft Spots identified U.S. spy planes flying missions over the Korean Peninsula at least three times in December, reported.
Further complicating negotiations, an alleged high-level North Korean defector has written to at least two White House advisers to warn Trump he’s been “tricked” by Kim, reported.
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The unidentified turncoat reportedly urged the president to engage in “psychological warfare” and crippling sanctions against Pyongyang while retaining the option for a “preemptive strike.”
“As long as Kim Jong Un remains in power, denuclearization of North Korea is permanently impossible because [Kim] regards nuclear weapons as the last means to defend his survival,” the defector wrote.
“You have stopped Kim Jong Un from launching missiles and conducting nuclear tests,” the letter continues, “but he is still mounting nuclear threats behind the scenes of dialogue and is attempting to take advantage of the relationship with you.”