‘Long-range nuke missile Pyongyang’s gift to US’
Credit to Author: Associated Press| Date: Wed, 18 Dec 2019 16:17:03 +0000
A top US military official in Asia said North Korea could launch a long-range missile as part of its promised “Christmas gift” to the United States, a move that could ratchet up pressure on President Donald Trump as he enters his reelection year.
Gen. Charles Brown, the commander of the Pacific Air Forces, told a group of reporters that it was also possible North Korea could announce that its self-imposed moratorium on long-range testing was over without actually launching anything.
Brown said this was only one potential possibility, stressing that the US was still focused on diplomacy and nothing, in fact, might happen.
But the new provocations from Pyongyang are raising concerns inside the White House that a period of relative calm is ending as Trump gears up for the 2020 campaign.
Tensions have ratcheted up as North Korea has conducted two new tests since the month began, declaring they were crucial for its nuclear program.
It paired the tests with barbed insults about Trump ahead of a self-imposed end-of-year deadline for securing concessions from the US.
If the US doesn’t ease sanctions, North korea has promised the United States a “Christmas gift,” an ominous pledge that could presage the resumption of long-range missile tests or a satellite launch, which Pyongyang had paused during bumpy attempts at diplomacy between the two countries.
A defense official said current information on the state of North Korean preparations indicates that Pyongyang is not moving to conduct an intercontinental ballistic missile launch before 2020.
But that official said it was always possible for North Korea to ramp up preparations or launch something shorter range that requires less preparation.
A return to the contention that marked Trump’s first year in office would undercut his boasts about avoiding war through three person-to-person meetings with leader Kim Jong Un.
It would call into question his descriptions of a close friendship with the young despot, with whom he’s exchanged “love letters” and briefly walked alongside into North Korean territory in June.
The meetings between the leaders did appear for a time to cause a cessation in the long-range missile launches and nuclear tests that led tensions to escalate in 2017.
But Pyongyang steadily undercut Trump’s claims of success by continuing to conduct tests, setting an all-time record for the number of missiles it launched this year.
Over 2019, North Korea has also done tests to improve technologies such as solid fuel, maneuverability, mobility and responsiveness that have implications for its ability to launch long-range systems, analysts say.
Now, though, Pyongyang’s recent launches at a missile and satellite facility have led to concerns the country is heading toward resuming the program that once caused Trump to threaten to rain “fire and fury” on the regime. There are also signs that global pressure on North Korea could be fracturing.
This week, China and Russia proposed easing United Nations (UN) sanctions on the country, highlighting a divide in how best to prevent advances in its nuclear weapons program. The White House has said it’s not considering easing any sanctions on North Korea.
The UN developments are feeding the concern among some of Trump’s advisers that the relative calm that accompanied the diplomatic efforts could be ending, weakening Trump’s political argument that he’s brought about a new, more peaceful dynamic through his friendly overtures.
AP