White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster said the U.S. needs to move with a “great deal of urgency” to address the threat posed by North Korea as the rogue regime continues with nuclear and missile tests.
“We really have to move with a great deal of urgency, on sanctions, on diplomacy, and on preparing, if necessary, a military option,” McMaster told “Fox News Sunday.”
The national security adviser criticized the previous approach to dealing with North Korea, which involved entering into “long, drawn-out negotiations” that then delivered an “unsatisfactory agreement.”
An agreement like those, McMaster said, often “locks in the status quo as the new normal.”
President Trump has not ruled out a military option for addressing North Korea’s missile and nuclear tests, and McMaster warned Friday the rogue regime’s continued testing means “we’re out of time.”
A military option, though, is one the U.S. would still rather not use.
The White House said Sunday morning Trump spoke with South Korean President Moon Jae-In about North Korea’s most recent missile test, which occurred Thursday. The rogue regime launched a ballistic missile over the northern end of Japan.
Trump referenced the call in an early morning tweet Sunday.
“I spoke with President Moon of South Korea last night. Asked him how Rocket Man is doing. Long gas lines forming in North Korea. Too bad!” Trump tweeted, referencing North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.
McMaster said Trump’s nickname for the North Korean leader was “a new one.”
