SEOUL, South Korea (AP) – South Korea seemed to play down the latest hot rhetoric aimed at North Korea by President Donald Trump, calling his words a signal of Washington’s strong resolve to deal with the North’s march to nuclear weapons mastery but essentially a repetition of a basic U.S. policy.
Trump told the U.N. General Assembly in a speech Tuesday that the United States would “totally destroy North Korea” if it had to defend itself or its allies. He has previously threatened the North with “fire and fury.” Pyongyang responded to those past remarks with a string of weapons tests, including its sixth and most powerful nuclear detonation and two missiles that flew over U.S. ally Japan.
A South Korean presidential official told Yonhap news agency that Trump’s comments are mostly a repetition of a basic stance that all options will be considered when confronting North Korea. Another official, Park Soo-hyun, told Yonhap that the amount of time Trump spent on North Korea in his speech shows how seriously Washington takes the issue.
South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in, second from right, arrives for the meeting of the United Nations General Assembly, Tuesday Sept. 19, 2017, at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
Trump’s comments “reaffirmed the need to put maximum sanctions and pressure against North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations,” Park was quoted as saying.
North Korea’s regular weapons tests are an attempt to create an arsenal of nuclear missiles that can threaten U.S. troops throughout Asia and the U.S. mainland. Pyongyang tested its first two intercontinental ballistic missiles in July and claims that it can now accurately reach the U.S. homeland, though outside experts say the North may still need more tests before its weapons are fully viable. Each new test pushes the nation that much closer to that goal.
Diplomacy meant to rid the North of its nukes, meanwhile, has been moribund for years.
U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division’s the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team move during a joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea at the Rodriquez Multi-Purpose Range Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The U.S. military flew advanced bombers and stealth jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in drills with South Korean and Japanese warplanes on Monday, three days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
South Korean army soldiers conduct a joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea at the Rodriquez Multi-Purpose Range Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The U.S. military flew advanced bombers and stealth jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in drills with South Korean and Japanese warplanes on Monday, three days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division’s the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team move during a joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea at the Rodriquez Multi-Purpose Range Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The U.S. military flew advanced bombers and stealth jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in drills with South Korean and Japanese warplanes on Monday, three days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
A U.S. Army soldier from the 2nd Infantry Division’s the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team fires his machine gun during a joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea at the Rodriquez Multi-Purpose Range Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The U.S. military flew advanced bombers and stealth jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in drills with South Korean and Japanese warplanes on Monday, three days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division’s the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team move during a joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea at the Rodriquez Multi-Purpose Range Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The U.S. military flew advanced bombers and stealth jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in drills with South Korean and Japanese warplanes on Monday, three days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division’s the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team conduct a joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea at the Rodriquez Multi-Purpose Range Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The U.S. military flew advanced bombers and stealth jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in drills with South Korean and Japanese warplanes on Monday, three days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division’s the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team march during a joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea at the Rodriquez Multi-Purpose Range Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The U.S. military flew advanced bombers and stealth jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in drills with South Korean and Japanese warplanes on Monday, three days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division’s the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team conduct a joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea at the Rodriquez Multi-Purpose Range Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The U.S. military flew advanced bombers and stealth jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in drills with South Korean and Japanese warplanes on Monday, three days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
U.S. Army armored vehicles from the 2nd Infantry Division’s the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team move during a joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea at the Rodriquez Multi-Purpose Range Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The U.S. military flew advanced bombers and stealth jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in drills with South Korean and Japanese warplanes on Monday, three days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
U.S. Army soldiers from the 2nd Infantry Division’s the 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team ride an armored vehicle during a joint military exercise between the U.S. and South Korea at the Rodriquez Multi-Purpose Range Complex in Pocheon, South Korea, Tuesday, Sept. 19, 2017. The U.S. military flew advanced bombers and stealth jets over the Korean Peninsula and near Japan in drills with South Korean and Japanese warplanes on Monday, three days after North Korea fired a missile over Japan. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
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