President Joe Biden dismissed the significance of North Korea’s latest missile tests when asked about the situation Tuesday.
“There’s no new wrinkle in what they did,” Biden said when asked if the missile tests were a provocation. “According to the Defense Department, it’s business as usual.”
When asked if the tests would affect diplomacy between Pyongyang and Washington going forward, Biden simply laughed in response. The tests are the first to take place since Biden took office in January. (RELATED: North Korea Reportedly Seeks COVID-19 Vaccines Despite Claiming To Have Zero Cases)
#UPDATE North Korea test-fired several missiles just days after a visit to the region by the top US defense and diplomatic officials, a US official said Tuesday, in Pyongyang’s first overt challenge to the Biden administration https://t.co/iFxdGHV7EV
— AFP News Agency (@AFP) March 23, 2021
U.S. officials reportedly expected a test, particularly after recent American and South Korean military exercises. The tests were in line with normal North Korean activity and did not violate United Nations Security Council resolutions, one source told The Washington Post.
The Biden administration is conducting a policy review regarding North Korea, and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will meet with his South Korean and Japanese colleagues next week to discuss how to move forward, according to The Post.
Former President Donald Trump implemented a unique North Korea strategy during his administration, meeting in person with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un on two occasions. Current State Department spokesperson Ned Price said Biden wants to pursue a “new approach” to the issue. (RELATED: Report: Fishing Boat Captain Publicly Executed In North Korea For Listening To American Radio)
The Biden administration has tried to get into contact with the North Korean regime, but thus far its attempts to talk have been rejected. Kim Jong-Un’s sister recently warned the United States against conducting military drills in South Korea: “If it [the U.S.] wants to sleep in peace for coming four years, it had better refrain from causing a stink at its first step.”