Unpalatable as it is, Trump should talk to North Korea
Kim Jong-un’s regime will not be easily dissuaded from developing nuclear arms and missiles; only direct talks with the US will have a real impact
North Korea’s weapons programmes are as much about timing as testing. The latest launch of a missile came as US leader Donald Trump was meeting Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and after he spoke by phone with President Xi Jinping (習近平). All three nations have an interest in curbing Pyongyang’s proliferation, yet years of effort have failed. It is time for the new American administration to return to a strategy of negotiation.
North Korea hailed the test, believed to have been of a solid-fuel, medium-range ballistic missile, as a success. It splashed into the Sea of Japan about 500km from the launch site, prompting Abe to call it a “provocation” and Trump to pledge to ensure Japanese security.
The United Nations Security Council, China and other neighbours and the United States, condemned it, while American, Japanese and South Korean defence officials agreed to work together and with the international community to address the actions. But sanctions and Beijing’s efforts to broker a deal through six-nation talks have not stopped North Korea’s ambitions. The country has already tested nuclear weapons five times, twice over the past year.