Report: Military Force Is an Option With North Korea

President Donald Trump has made it abundantly clear that he will not allow North Korea, which is continuing to develop its nuclear weapons program, obtain intercontinental ballistic missile capabilities that would endanger any part of the U.S.

Back in January, before he had taken office, the president put out the following tweet:

“North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won’t happen!”

According to a new report from The Wall Street Journal, the president is willing—if necessary—to use military force. Recent activities by the “Hermit Kingdom” have further destabilized Southeast Asia, which has also seen aggressive moves by the Chinese in the South China Sea.

The report states:

About two weeks ago, Deputy National Security Adviser K.T. McFarland convened a meeting with national security officials across the government and asked them for proposals on North Korea, including ideas that one official described as well outside the mainstream.

The request was for all options, ranging from U.S. recognition of North Korea as a nuclear state to military action against Pyongyang. Ms. McFarland’s directive was for the administration to undergo a comprehensive rethink of America’s North Korea policy.

The national security officials reported back to Ms. McFarland with their ideas and suggestions on Tuesday. Those options now will undergo a process under which they will be refined and shaped before they are given to the president for consideration.

The heightened prospect of U.S. military action in North Korea could encourage China, which fears the fallout of a military confrontation with its neighbor, to take steps Washington has long sought to choke off Pyongyang’s economic lifeline.

Click here to read the entire report. {eoa}