Trump’s Options to Deal With North Korean Threat: QuickTake Q&A
U.S. Deploys Thaad Missile System to South Korea
North Korea continues to defy United Nations resolutions -- and endure economic sanctions -- by pushing toward its goal of possessing nuclear-tipped missiles that could reach the U.S. mainland. In July, Kim Jong Un’s military test-fired two long-range intercontinental ballistic missiles. In September, it staged its most powerful nuclear test -- of what it claimed was a hydrogen bomb capable of being loaded onto a missile -- and the first since U.S. President Donald Trump was elected. A coordinated and effective global response has been elusive.
South Korea, the U.S. and Japan bear the brunt of Kim’s threats and constitute the front line of the international response. That alliance was tested when Trump accused South Korea of considering "appeasement" with its northern neighbor. Among their difficult tasks: getting China and Russia on board.