North Korea is growing increasingly worried about the increase of U.S. military assets on the Korean Peninsula.
In an article published in its state media on Dec. 21 the regime said that the “U.S. is demonstrating its power” by deploying “strategic assets in and around South Korea.”
The regime in Pyongyang has for months threatened to attack the United States with a nuclear weapon.
However, the latest article published underscores how dictator Kim Jong Un sees an increase in military threats to his regime.
Since coming to office in January, Trump has worked on a number of military contingencies to deal with the North Korean nuclear crisis.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has said that the president has been provided with a wide range of military options in response to North Korea.
During a hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Oct. 30, Mattis said that the U.S. is completely prepared to counter a nuclear missile attack by North Korea.
“We rehearse this routinely,” Mattis said.
The U.S. has deployed a number of military assets into the region, including the deployment of advanced THAAD missile defense systems to Japan and South Korea, as well as the F-35 jet fighters to Japan.
But despite the potential for military conflict, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has said that Trump has instructed him to pursue a diplomatic solution to the problem.
So far, however, the North Korean regime has not been willing to engage in talks over its nuclear weapons program.
The Kim regime sees the nuclear weapons as a key tool to its survival.
Following a successful ICBM test launch in November, North Korea is now able to reach any place in the world with its missiles, Mattis said last month.
The United Nations Security Council is expected to vote later today on a new resolution that would further limit the amount of oil that can be sold to North Korea.
China and Russia, two of North Korea’s closest allies, have indicated they will vote in favor of the resolution.
China has for years provided North Korea with the financial and technological help that have made its nuclear weapons program possible. While most of this occurred under former Chinese leaders, current Chinese leader Xi Jinping has indicated he is willing to do more about the North Korean crisis. However, it is yet to be seen if he is willing to take the actions that would lead to a denuclearized North Korea.
China for years has looked at North Korea as a strategic asset in the region that could help deter the United States.
From The Epoch Times
