The Washington Post editorial board picked the wrong day to call Secretary of State Rex Tillerson “silent.” Speaking in Seoul Friday, the newly minted diplomat delivered a loud message.
There will be no negotiating with the North Korean regime over its nuclear weapons program, Tillerson declared. (Thus dashing the hopes of an army of think tank apparatchiks, op-ed scribblers, and certain former New Mexico governors.) Even more significant than that, the secretary of state said that the U.S. policy of “strategic patience”—essentially ignoring North Korea in hopes that it will abandon its pursuit of weapons—had “ended,” and that the U.S. government would even consider military action against the rogue regime. In the meantime, expect tighter sanctions and more pressure on China to rein in its sort-of ally.
Through its rhetoric and its actions, the Kim regime has made it clear that it will never abandon its nuclear weapons program voluntarily. Give Tillerson credit for appearing to recognize this important (and awful) truth.
