North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has declared an end to moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests and threatened a demonstration of a new strategic weapon soon.
Analysts said the announcement, reported by state media today, amounted to Kim putting a missile “to Donald Trump’s head” but warned that escalation by Pyongyang would probably backfire.
Washington was swift to respond, with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo urging Kim to take a different course and stressing that the US wanted peace not confrontation with the North, while Trump played down the development.
Speaking to Fox News and CBS after Kim’s announcement, Mike Pompeo said a resumption of nuclear and missile tests would be “deeply disappointing”.
