White House National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien on Sunday explained that while he did not “want to speculate about what will happen” if North Korea resumes its long-range missile testing or nuclear tests, the U.S. has “a lot of tools in our tool kit” to retaliate.
His comments come amid heightened tension between the U.S. and North Korea as a year-end deadline for Washington to present additional concessions to Pyongyang in key denuclearization negotiations looms.
North Korea began a political conference on Sunday to discuss ways to “overcome the manifold and harsh trials and difficulties and further accelerate the development of the revolution with transparent anti-imperialist independent stand and firm will,” according to state-run news agency KCNA.
North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un had threatened that his country would launch a “Christmas gift,” which was expected to be a long-range ballistic missile test or even the resumption of nuclear weapons testing. But the alleged “gift” did not materialize.
In an interview with ABC News, Mr. O’Brien explained that if North Korea were to conduct a missile test the U.S. “will be extraordinarily disappointed and we’ll demonstrate that disappointment.”
“Perhaps [Mr. Kim] reconsidered” a launch, he said, “but we’ll have to wait and see.”
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.