hankyoreh

Stephen Miller

On Feb. 13, US Pentagon spokesperson Jeff Davis spoke out about North Korea’s launch on Feb. 12 of the Pukguksong-2 ballistic missile, describing North Korea‘s weapons programs as “unlawful” and a serious threat to national security.

On the same day, President Donald Trump said he would deal with North Korea “very strongly,” calling the North a “big, big problem.”

The North’s missile test occurred during a visit to the US by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Trump “stood shoulder to shoulder with the prime minister of Japan and sent a message to the whole world that we stand with our allies,” said Stephen Miller, senior advisor at the White House and believed to be one of US President Donald Trump’s closest aides, when asked by a CBS reporter during an interview on Feb. 12 why Trump had not specifically criticized North Korea during an emergency joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Feb. 11.

“Having the two men appear on camera worldwide to all of planet Earth was a statement that will be understood very well by North Korea,” Miller explained. For now, he said, simply showing solidarity with Japan sent a strong enough message to Pyongyang.

“That signal is when we begin a great rebuilding of the armed forces of the United States,” Miller said, without explaining what this “other signal” would entail.

“And President Trump is going to go to Congress and ask them to invest in our military so once again we will have unquestioned military strength beyond anything anybody can imagine,” he said.

During an appearance on Fox News on the same day, Miller also unveiled a plan to strengthen relations with US allies in the Pacific region.

On Feb. 12, Cory Gardner, chair of the Senate Subcommittee on East Asian and Pacific Affairs, released a statement calling for the administration, “to immediately pursue a series of tough measures” against North Korea.

By Yi Yong-in, Washington correspondent

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]