Pentagon: North Korea is Preparing to Conduct More Missile Tests

There are reports that North Korea may be planning to carry out a missile test of a nuclear missile that could reach American shores in the coming days. This is a threat that ultimately undermines the diplomatic achievement that President Donald Trump has claimed to have had with North Korea. 

Intelligence Shows North Korea Preparing for Missile Tests

American military and intelligence officials expect the country will conduct tests on an intercontinental ballistic missile that is capable of reaching the United States. North Korea recently promised to give the United States a “Christmas gift” if there was no progress on lifting sanctions placed on North Korea by the United Nations in 2016. 

Trump and Kim Jong-Un, the leader of North Korea, reached an agreement in June 2018 that the country would work towards the “complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula”. One thing to note about that is that North Korea only promised to “work towards” that goal. They gave no actual timeline on when they would get rid of any nuclear weapons they had. Experts say that North Korea currently has over 30 nuclear warheads. 

Despite the agreement, experts say that the country has only continued to boost its nuclear arsenal following the initial meeting in 2016. 

North Korea recently claimed that they had conducted tests of a satellite launching facility. After these claims were made, President Trump attempted to appeal to Kim Jong-Un on Twitter, saying, “Kim Jong-Un is too smart and has far too much to lose, everything actually, if he acts in a hostile way.” He added, “He does not want to void his special relationship with the President of the United States or interfere with the U.S Presidential Election in November.” 

His appeal fell on deaf ears with North Korea responding by calling Trump a “heedless and erratic old man”, claiming that the comments Trump made were “corroboration that he feels fear” over North Korea’s plans. 

Despite all the rhetoric, Trump has remained relatively quiet over North Korea since then. American officials continue to downplay potential tests by North Korea. The New York Times reports that Trump officials believe that if North Korea were to continue their tests, it would be proof that they understand sanctions on the country wouldn’t be lifted soon. This is a hard argument to make given that the main goal of the sanctions on North Korea was put in place to convince them to give up their nuclear weapons.