Trump Warns North Korea: ‘Act Unwisely’ And Face Wrath Of U.S Military

President Donald Trump further escalated his rhetorical standoff with North Korea Friday morning, suggesting the US was ready to respond with military force should the rogue nation “act unwisely.”

In an early morning tweet, Trump appeared to warn the Pyonyang regime that the US military was on the verge of a strike. “Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully Kim Jong Un will find another path!” he tweeted.

It was the third consecutive day that Trump has used incendiary language to describe the threat posed by North Korea, which has responded with a threat to launch a series of missiles in the direction of the US Pacific territory of Guam.

On Wednesday, Trump said he would unleash “fire and fury like the world has never seen” on North Korea, which has conducted successful tests in recent months of intercontinental ballistic missiles the could of reach the US mainland. On Thursday Trump said his threat may not have gone far enough and claimed past administrations had not done enough to take on North Korea.

A White House official downplayed Trump’s latest declaration, telling CNN there were military plans for “just about any crisis we may face in the world” and they were regularly updated. “This isn’t anything new,” the official added.

Defense secretary James Mattis said on Thursday night that diplomatic efforts to contain the threat posed by North Korea remain the favored means for solving the crisis. He noted that the UN Security Council, in a rare display of unanimity over North Korea, passed a resolution that tightened sanctions against Kim’s regime.

Neighboring powers urged restraint. Russia called on the Trump administration to keep calm, and on Friday Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told state media that his country was working with China on a “double freezing” plan to address the threat.

“Kim Jong Un freezes any nuclear tests and any missile launches — we mean ballistic missiles — and the US and South Korea freeze large scale military exercises,” Lavrov said, adding that North Korea regularly uses the drills to justify its missile tests and nuclear program.

“I believe that when it almost reaches the point of a fight, the one who is stronger and smarter must take the first step away from the dangerous line,” he said.

China, North Korea’s most influential ally and largest trading partner, has come under increasing pressure to intervene.

The state-controlled Global Times newspaper said in an editorial Friday that if North Korea launched missiles at the US, China should “stay neutral,” sending a warning to Pyongyang that Beijing may not support the regime if it made a first move.

But the paper, whose views do not always represent official Chinese government policies, also said that if the US and South Korea took a first strike against North Korea, China should intervene.
CNN