Trump’s Second Term Starts with Inaction over North Korea’s Missile Provocations

Among all of the successes claimed by President Donald Trump over his first 100 days, North Korea was not one of them. 

  1. Despite Trump’s “great relationship” with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-un built during their summit meetings in 2018 and 2019, there has been no substantive engagement since, leaving the North Koreans free to operate at will to the detriment of U.S. and allied security interests. North Korea conducted more missile tests in the first 100 days of both the first and second Trump administrations than in the first 100 days of any U.S. presidential administration since Nixon.
  2. In the first 100 days of the second Trump presidency, Kim’s North Korea has quietly conducted five missile tests, stolen $1.5 billion in cryptocurrency, sent an additional 3,000 troops to Russia to fight Putin’s brutal war in Ukraine, and unveiled its largest modern missile destroyer, the Choe Hyon.
  3. Trump’s ability to re-engage with Kim will be hampered by the growth of Kim’s relations with Russia and the breakdown of the UN sanctions regime. 

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Victor Cha

Victor Cha

President, Geopolitics and Foreign Policy Department and Korea Chair
Andy Lim

Andy Lim

Deputy Director and Fellow, Korea Chair

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