President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in were meeting for the first time Thursday on the way forward against the growing North Korea threat that a top White House official said demands action.
A senior White House official speaking on background Wednesday said Trump was focused on ramping up diplomatic and economic pressure but Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, the White House National Security Adviser, said later Wednesday that force was a possible option.
“What we have to do is prepare all options because the president has made clear to us that he will not accept a nuclear power in North Korea and a threat that can target the United States and target the American population,” McMaster said at the Center for a New American Security.
“The threat is much more immediate now and so it’s clear that we can’t repeat the same approach — failed approach of the past,” McMaster said in an apparent reference to the Obama administration’s policy of “strategic patience.”
Moon was arriving at the White House with the Republic of Korea (ROK) delegation Thursday evening to be followed by dinner with Trump and First Lady Melania Trump.
In an interview with Reuters last week, Moon, who campaigned for election on a policy of restarting peace talks with North Korea, said progress would depend on building a personal relationship with Trump.
“If President Trump and I make strong personal ties of friendship and trust and if we were to try to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue on the basis of these personal ties, then I believe we will be able to achieve the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue,” Moon said.