Biden Mutes Trump Era North Korea Rhetoric After Missile Launch

President Joe Biden responded to North Korea’s most recent missile launch with a pledge to work closely with Japan and South Korea. In a sign of his pessimism about a bigger breakthrough, he held off promising much more.

The launch -- the first time North Korea has fired a missile over Japan in five years -- was a unwelcome development for a president whose hands are full with the Ukraine war, the November midterm elections and sky-high inflation. His understated response was in keeping with North Korea strategy throughout his presidency: The US is happy to talk but isn’t going to make North Korea a policy priority.