"AN UNFORGIVABLE ACT OF AGGRESSION" Says North Korea Regarding U.S. Strikes On Syria
[Pyongyang, North Korea] On Saturday, North Korea's foreign ministry called Thursday's U.S. missile strikes against a Syrian airbase "an unforgivable act of aggression." They further stated, "[its right to develop nuclear weapons was] the right choice a million times over."
KCNA, the official news agency of the DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea), released its first response since U.S. destroyers located in the Mediterranean Sea launched 59 tomahawk cruise missiles at the Shaayrat air base. The Pentagon believes this particular airfield was involved in a chemical weapons attack that occurred earlier this week, killing 72. Included among the dead are women, children and infants.
According to KCNA, an unnamed spokesman representing the North Korean foreign ministry reported, "The U.S. missile attack against Syria is a clear and unforgivable act of aggression against a sovereign state and we strongly condemn this. The reality of today proves our decision to strengthen our military power to stand against force with force was the right choice a million times over."
Syria and North Korea consider each other important allies. After the missile attack, KCNA said Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad and Kim Jong-un exchanged messages of warm wishes and pledges of friendship and cooperation between both countries.
"Al-Assad thanked Kim for recognizing the Syrian struggle to meet such challenges as sinister actions of the world's terrorists and encouraged Syria to successfully weather the crisis without fail," KCNA said.
Next Move?
The Trump administration is considering multiple options that would alter U.S. policy regarding Pyongyang. The White House hopes China will do more to influence the rogue nation through diplomacy and sanctions. If not, and if the administration continues to accrue evidence that North Korea is still developing its nuclear weapons program, the U.S. may take a different course of action.
One of the options on the table is placing American nuclear weapons in South Korea as a show of force and deterrent to any future conflicts. 25 years ago, the U.S. withdrew all nuclear weapons from the southern nation. Bringing back these weapons would mark the first overseas nuclear deployment since the end of the Cold War.
A senior U.S. intelligence official involved in decision-making told NBC News, "We have 20 years of diplomacy and sanctions under our belt that has failed to stop the North Korean program. I'm not advocating preemptive war, nor do I think that the deployment of nuclear weapons buys more for us than it costs." He stressed that the U.S. was dealing with a "war today" situation and doubted that Chinese and American interests coincided closely enough to find a diplomatic solution.
Other options include conducting additional joint military exercises in the region or even considering the assassination of Kim Jong-un and other senior leaders in charge of the country's conventional and nuclear stockpiles.
