Washington: Even as the United States expressed deep disappointments over North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's decision to end their self-imposed ban on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) tests, President Donald Trump assuaged concerns stating that he was certain Pyongyang will stick to its commitments on denuclearization.
"We did sign a contract, talking about denuclearization. That was the number one sentence, 'denuclearization', that was done in Singapore. I think he's a man of his word," a tuxedo-wearing Trump told reporters before heading into New Year festivities at his holiday retreat in Florida.
The president was referring to a 2018 historic summit he held with Kim in Singapore. The two leaders then agreed on “complete denuclearization of the Korean peninsula” and on “establishing new US-DPRK relations”.
But the failure to reach an agreement over sanctions relief and what North Korea was willing to give up in return led to the collapse of the leader's second summit in February in Hanoi. The self-imposed ban, centrepiece of this diplomacy, too began to show cracks after.
On Wednesday, after the year-end deadline that Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) had set for Washington lapsed and fresh concessions failed to materialize, North Korea's state media reported that Kim had declared an end to moratoriums on nuclear and ICBM tests and threatened a demonstration of a "new strategic weapon" soon.
North Korea has previously fired missiles capable of reaching the entire US mainland and has carried out six nuclear tests.
Washington has reasserted that they want peace rather than confrontation with Pyongyang, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said.
"If Chairman Kim has reneged on the commitments he made to President Trump it's deeply disappointing," Pompeo said.
"We're hopeful that ... Chairman Kim will make the right decision and he'll choose peace and prosperity over conflict and war.”
Any actual test or escalations from Pyongyang will not only infuriate Trump, who has played down several of North Korea's launches of shorter-range weapons but is also likely to backfire on Kim, according to analysts.
"North Korea has, in effect, put an ICBM to Donald Trump's head in order to gain the two concessions it wants most: sanctions relief and some sort of security guarantee," said Harry Kazianis of the Center for the National Interest in Washington.
"Kim Jong-un is playing a dangerous game of geopolitical chicken," he added.
The US has already indicated that it will react if the Pyongyang carried out a long-range missile test.
An ICBM launch would also be likely to frustrate China, the North's key diplomatic backer and provider of trade and aid, which always stresses stability in a region it regards as its own back yard.
In December, China and Russia -- another key economic partner for the North -- proposed loosening UN sanctions against Pyongyang, and analysts say Kim is likely to seek to exploit rivalries between Washington, Beijing and Moscow.
(With inputs from agencies)
