Trump warns North Korea: 'Patience is over'
"Strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed," said Trump.
-- President Trump warned North Korea today that he and allied world leaders have lost patience with the bombastic regime.
Speaking at a joint press conference with the leader of South Korea, Moon Jae-in, Trump called the North Korean regime "reckless and brutal" and said its "nuclear and ballistic missile programs require a determined response."
“The era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed. Many years it has failed,” he said, adding, “Frankly, that patience is over.”
The president noted that the U.S. is working with South Korea, Japan and other partners “on a range of diplomatic, security, and economic measures to protect our allies and our own citizens from this menace known as North Korea.”
Trump also offered his thoughts and prayers to Otto Warmbier, the American college student who was detained in North Korea and died from a traumatic brain injury, during the joint press conference.
“The entire world just witnessed what the regime did to our wonderful Otto Warmbier,” he said. “The United States calls on other regional powers and all responsible nations to join us in implementing sanctions and demanding that the North Korean regime choose a better path and do it quickly. Our goal is peace, stability and prosperity for the region but the United States will defend itself -- always will defend itself. Always. And we will always defend our allies.”
This is Moon's first foreign trip as president. He was elected in May following the impeachment of Park Geun-hye. Moon said Trump was the first world leader to call him after winning the election.
During his time in Washington, Moon also visited the Korean War Veterans Memorial with Vice President Mike Pence, laying wreaths at the memorial and holding a moment of silence in front of a gathering of veterans and their family members.