Trump issues stern warning to North Korea: 'Do not try us'
Steve Holland, Matt Spetalnick
SEOUL (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump warned North Korea on Wednesday “do not underestimate us and do not try us” as he vowed that the United States would defend itself and its allies against Pyongyang’s nuclear threat.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the South Korean National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, November 8, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Trump issued a stern message to North Korea that Washington “will not be intimidated” as he wrapped up a visit to South Korea with a speech to the National Assembly in Seoul. He urged countries around the world to join together to isolate Pyongyang by denying it “any form of support, supply or acceptance”.
“We will not allow American cities to be threatened with destruction. We will not be intimidated,” he told South Korean lawmakers. “And we will not let the worst atrocities in history be repeated here, on this ground we fought and died to secure.”
“The world cannot tolerate the menace of a rogue regime that threatens it with nuclear devastation,” Trump said.
Trump returned to tough talk against North Korea a day after he appeared to dial back some of his bellicose rhetoric and instead took more of a carrot-and-stick approach.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at the South Korean National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, November 8, 2017. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
He warned Pyongyang on Tuesday of the U.S. military buildup he has ordered in the area but also offered it a diplomatic opening to “make a deal”.
The speech came after Trump’s attempt to make an unannounced visit to the heavily fortified border separating North and South Korea was aborted earlier on Wednesday when dense fog prevented his helicopter from landing, officials said.
Trump tried to travel to the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) - the doorstep of the North Korean nuclear standoff – on the final day of a 24-hour visit to ally Seoul. He was then due to fly to China, where U.S. officials say he will press a reluctant President Xi Jinping to tighten the screws further on Pyongyang.
However, Trump and his entourage had to turn back when the weather made it impossible for his helicopter to land in the border area, the White House said. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders described Trump as disappointed and frustrated at having to abandon the visit.
A visit to the DMZ, despite his aides’ earlier insistence he had no plans to go there, would have had the potential to further inflame tensions with North Korea.
Trump’s earlier threats to “totally destroy” North Korea if it threatened the United States, and the personal insults he exchanged with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un after the North’s most recent missile and nuclear tests, had raised fears in the region of military conflict. TOKYO (AP) — The Latest on President Donald Trump's trip to Asia (all times local):
12:50 a.m.
Japan's Foreign Ministry says Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie have given a table runner adorned with golden embroidery to President Donald Trump, known for his affinity for gold. It was made by Kyoto-based fabric maker Tatsumura Textile. Abe also gave Melania Trump a bracelet with Japanese motifs. And Abe gave presidential daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump a set of face brushes. Ivanka Trump visited Japan last week.
Abe also gave Trump a golf cap that the both leaders signed that reads: "Donald & Shinzo, Make alliance even greater." The cap also was autographed by Hideki Matsuyama, a Japanese professional golfer who played with the two leaders on Sunday.
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12:10 a.m.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says he and President Donald Trump have drawn considerable attention to golf, but the Japanese leader is giving credit to their predecessors for pioneering golf diplomacy.
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Abe says his grandfather, former prime minister Nobusuke Kishi, played with then-President Dwight Eisenhower in 1957 before their talks in Washington.
According to archival photos, Eisenhower won that match, shooting 74 to Kishi's 99. Their second golf game was planned for 1960 never happened because Kishi resigned amid intensifying protest over a revised security pact he signed.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a state banquet at the Akasaka Palace, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, in Tokyo. Trump is on a five-country trip through Asia traveling to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a state banquet at the Akasaka Palace, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, in Tokyo. Trump is on a five-country trip through Asia traveling to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Abe and Trump had their second golf game on Sunday. Abe says their scores are a secret.
He says when someone plays golf with another person twice, that person must be "your favorite guy."
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8:24 p.m.
President Donald Trump says Japan's leader enthusiastically sought a relationship.
Speaking at a banquet in Tokyo Monday, Trump recalled that after his 2016 victory he heard from numerous world leaders, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Trump said he didn't know that it was customary to wait to meet other leaders until after you take office, and he told Abe he'd be happy to meet with him "any time."
The president said that when he tried to delay, Abe was already on a plane to New York, "so I had to see him." Trump said they had a great meeting and Abe "brought me the most beautiful golf club I've ever seen."
Trump says he enjoyed "every minute" of his visit to Japan — the first stop on a five-country Asian tour.
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Japan William F. Hagerty, left, waves to a guest during a state banquet at the Akasaka Palace, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, in Tokyo. Trump is on a five-country trip through Asia traveling to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
U.S. President Donald Trump, right, accompanied by U.S. Ambassador to Japan William F. Hagerty, left, waves to a guest during a state banquet at the Akasaka Palace, Monday, Nov. 6, 2017, in Tokyo. Trump is on a five-country trip through Asia traveling to Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam and the Philippines. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
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6 p.m.
President Donald Trump is ratcheting up the pressure on North Korea, refusing to rule out eventual military action and declaring that the United States "will not stand" for Pyongyang menacing America or its Asian allies.
Trump, on the first stop of his lengthy Asia trip, is denouncing North Korea Monday as "a threat to the civilized world."
He exhorted dictator Kim Jong Un to cease weapons testing like the missiles he has fired over Japanese territory in recent weeks.
Trump did not modulate his fiery language on North Korea, declaring that Pyongyang imperiled "international peace and stability."
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe agreed with Trump's assessment that "all options are on the table."
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