Trump: North Korea nuclear testing ‘won’t happen’
President-elect also takes another swipe at China, saying Beijing ‘won’t help’ with curbing Pyongyang’s ambitions
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US President-elect Donald Trump insisted on Monday that North Korea will not develop a nuclear weapon capable of reaching the United States.
Trump addressed the issue Monday evening on Twitter. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said Sunday in his annual New Year’s address that preparations for launching an ICBM have “reached the final stage.” He did not explicitly say a test was imminent.
Trump tweeted: “North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the US It won’t happen!”
It was unclear if Trump meant he would stop North Korea or he was simply doubting the country’s capabilities. His aides did not immediately respond to questions seeking clarification.
North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won't happen!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2017
Trump then berated North Korea’s most important ally, tweeting: “China has been taking out massive amounts of money & wealth from the US in totally one-sided trade, but won’t help with North Korea. Nice!”
China has been taking out massive amounts of money & wealth from the U.S. in totally one-sided trade, but won't help with North Korea. Nice!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 2, 2017
Although Washington has repeatedly vowed that it would never accept North Korea as a nuclear state, Trump has not previously clearly stated his policy on the isolated Stalinist state.
The Republican billionaire has already upended precedent by routinely taking to Twitter since his election in November to lambast critics and issue statements — sometimes about the most serious national security issues — sending analysts scrambling to divine what they may mean for US policy once he takes office on January 20.
Last month, he angered China by tweeting accusations of military expansionism and currency manipulation, followed a few weeks later by what appeared to be a solo bid to restart the Cold War arms race by tweeting that the United States must “greatly strengthen and expand” its nuclear capabilities.
In a 30-minute televised New Year’s speech on Sunday, Kim said Pyongyang had “soared as a nuclear power,” adding that it is now a “military power of the East that cannot be touched by even the strongest enemy.”
Although he did not make a specific reference to the incoming Trump administration, he called on Washington to make a “resolute decision to withdraw its anachronistic hostile North Korea policy.”
Analysts are divided over how close Pyongyang is to realizing its full nuclear ambitions, especially as it has never successfully test-fired an ICBM.
However, North Korea carried out two nuclear tests and numerous missile launches last year in pursuit of its oft-stated goal — developing a weapons system capable of hitting the US mainland with a nuclear warhead.
Thae Yong-Ho, North Korea’s former deputy ambassador to Britain who defected to the South in August, has said Kim was planning a “prime time” nuclear weapons push in 2017 to take advantage of leadership transitions in Washington and Seoul.
The Times of Israel Community.