Donald Trump’s preference for ‘bloody nose’ attack on North Korea is clear, analysts claim
White House rejected Victor Cha for Seoul envoy’s post because he opposed using a preventive strike to force Pyongyang to negotiate on denuclearisation
The White House’s rejection of Victor Cha for the post of US ambassador to South Korea shows US President Donald Trump is leaning toward launching a “bloody nose” preventive strike against North Korea to force the reclusive country back to the negotiating table, analysts said.
The Trump administration abandoned Cha – a former director for Asian affairs in the White House’s National Security Council and a top adviser for Korean affairs under former US President George W. Bush – as its pick for the South Korean ambassador’s post because Cha disagreed with the “bloody nose” strategy as a way to achieve the president’s goal of removing nuclear weapons from the Korean Peninsula, analysts said.
“Cha’s denomination suggests the White House has a preference for someone willing to endorse or prioritise a military option,” said Catherine Dill, a nuclear policy expert at Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey, California.
Cha’s rejection indicates that “an active effort” is being made within the Trump administration to advocate for a military option to deter North Korea’s nuclear ambitions, Dill said.
Another well-placed Washington person who spoke with the South China Morning Post on condition of anonymity said the White House was not prepared to put up with a dissenter in the midst of advocating for an attack.
The Trump administration wants to keep all options open, including the “bloody nose” assault, the person said.