Washington Post Criticizes, "North Korea's New ICBM Is a Product of Trump's Failure to Deter North Korean Nuclear Threat"

"Trump's North Korea Policy Shows No Results"
"Since Trump's Administration, Missile Threats from North Korea, China, and Russia Have Increased"

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] The Washington Post (WP) published an editorial criticizing North Korea's new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) unveiled at the Workers' Party's 75th anniversary military parade on the 10th, calling it evidence that President Donald Trump's North Korea nuclear deterrence policy has failed.

In the print edition dated the 13th (local time), WP published an editorial titled "North Korea's Monster Missile," stating, "The appearance of a new missile, presumed to be the world's largest mobile ICBM, in North Korea is vivid evidence of how President Trump's North Korea policy has failed, not only failing to eliminate North Korea's nuclear weapons but also falling short in every aspect."

WP continued to point out that although President Trump met with North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un three times, the denuclearization talks with North Korea yielded no results. WP said, "The lack of preparation by President Trump, who enjoyed the summits but did not make efforts to understand the complex North Korea nuclear issue," and emphasized, "Since Kim Jong-un likely hopes for Trump's reelection, North Korea will probably refrain from additional nuclear provocations until the U.S. presidential election in November, but after the election, it would not be surprising if North Korea conducts test launches of the new ICBM."

Along with the editorial, WP also published a separate analysis article titled "North Korea's New Missile Sends a Threatening Message to the Next U.S. President." WP explained North Korea's ICBM reveal by saying, "With less than a month remaining before the U.S. presidential election, North Korea is signaling that regardless of who wins, it will surely return as a major headline and likely become a headache in 2021." It further assessed, "This is a frightening indication that North Korea's nuclear capability poses a very real threat to the U.S. mainland."

WP also cited expert analyses suggesting that the newly revealed ICBM is longer and has a larger diameter than the Hwasong-15 ICBM North Korea launched in November 2017, which could mean additional fuel capacity or a larger engine. It also pointed out the possibility that North Korea might develop multiple independently targetable reentry vehicle (MIRV) nuclear missiles capable of evading missile defense systems (MD) in the future.

WP further criticized that missile threats from not only North Korea but also China and Russia have increased since the Trump administration. "North Korea's new mobile ICBM clearly shows the worrying reality that international threats from nuclear weapons and missiles have grown since President Trump took office," and explained, "On the occasion of Russian President Vladimir Putin's birthday on the 6th, Russia test-fired a hypersonic cruise missile, and at the end of August, China launched ballistic missiles known as 'carrier killers' and 'Guam killers' into the South China Sea."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.