Speaking in Tokyo, US President Donald Trump has called North Korea’s military program a “threat” to global peace, reiterating the mantra that the “strategic patience” with Pyongyang is over.
In a Monday press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the US president defended his belligerent rhetoric against the North, which has sparked global concerns, even among Washington’s own allies, of escalated tensions on the Korean Peninsula.
“Some people said that my rhetoric is very strong, but look what’s happened with very weak rhetoric over the last 25 years,” he said. “Look where we are now.”
Trump, who is on the second day of an extended tour of Asia, reiterated that he was considering all options to rein in North Korea.
Trump has repeatedly threatened in the past to use military force against the North.
North Korea is “a threat to the civilized world and international peace and stability,” Trump…