WASHINGTON – President Trump faces a mountain of perilous political and national security issues in the months to come on a number of fronts, both here and abroad.
First and foremost, North Korea has become far more threatening and belligerent lately, stepping up its nuclear ballistic missile threats with its most ominous warning this week: the U.S. “will receive more ‘gift packages’… as long as it relies on reckless provocations and futile attempts” against their country.
Han Tae Song, North Korea’s ambassador to the U.N., at a disarmament conference in Geneva, lobbed a stinging fusillade of threats two days after his nation detonated its sixth, and largest, nuclear test explosion to date.
“I am proud of saying that just two days ago on the 3rd of September DPRK [the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] successfully carried out a hydrogen bomb test” for for [an] intercontinental ballistic missile, he told the forum.
“The recent self-defense measures by my country, DPRK, are a ‘gift package’ addressed to none other than the U.S.,” Han added.
At the same time, he flatly rejected any suggestions by Trump’s national security advisers to begin negotiations to persuade the Communist dictatorship to halt its weapons tests.
As for plans by the Trump administration, the U.N. and North Korea’s neighbors, to impose tougher economic sanctions on the DPRK, Han dismissed them out of hand.
“Pressure or sanctions will never work on my country,” he said. “The DPRK will never under any circumstances put its nuclear deterrence on the negotiating table.”
Nevertheless, the U.S. and its allies sent a stern warning this week that new sanctions will be imposed.
“We look forward to working with our partners in the [Security] Council with regard to a new resolution that will put some of the strongest sanctions possible on the DPRK,” said U.S….
