President Donald Trump on Monday vowed to "deal with" North Korea,
calling it "a big, big problem" without mentioning the ballistic missile
it test-fired over the weekend or any planned American response. The Pentagon was more pointed in its assessment of the problem. A
spokesman said technical advancements in North Korea's ballistic missile
programs, demonstrated in the latest test-launch from a mobile
launcher, pose a "clear, grave threat" to U.S. security.
That assessment reflected concern as well as frustration among U.S.
officials, who see North Korea pushing ahead, in defiance of U.N.
Security Council resolutions, with development of missiles capable of
striking U.S. territory with nuclear weapons.
"North Korea's unlawful weapons programs represent a clear, grave threat
to our national security," a Pentagon spokesman, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis,
said Monday. "North Korea openly states that its ballistic missiles are
intended to deliver nuclear weapons to strike cities in the United
States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan."