Transcript for Trump administration not planning to respond to failed North Korean missile launch

For much more on this developing story out of North Korea let's go to Washington and retired Marine Corps colonel and ABC news contributor Steve tenured who has served in the Pentagon and as a fighter pilot Steve good morning. Good morning did so surely we have before we came on the air an unnamed White House official told the press that the drug administration is not planning to respond to this failed missile test quote. If they took the time and energy to launch a missile and fail we don't need take spend any resources against that so. Do you think this is the right strategy. It's the right strategy in the sense that Kim Jung craves attention he craves the the attention of the world and he loves the world stage so. Not dignify his his failed launch within a kind of a comment. Is not a bad idea. That said we shouldn't be gloating about afloat failed launch because it does show us that they have that determination. To eventually perfected a long range nuclear missile capability. If you talk about not letting it was very embarrassing and the North Korean leader Kim John then has said Steve that he wants to conduct both. This missile launch and a nuclear test so what's the US a strategy considering a nuclear test could be coming next and considering his failed launch was really embarrassing. Well pollen Ali interestingly enough the red lines have been drawn particularly by president trump. Involved didn't the means of delivery that long range Intercontinental ballistic missile. The world has never really said much Sheikh said don't do it when the news when the when the North Korea to test a nuclear weapons. So in this case they're probably gonna test a nuclear weapon in the next day or so and they'll be lots of come and condemnation. But we've yet to see any serious action taken against them for nuclear testing. The so if America's goal is to prevent North Korea from developing the capacity to hit the US or the lower 48 when nuclear tipped missiles. What options do we have it sit to prevent them from doing so he short of war. DNA is we've had a lot of talk in the past few days about military action military action but. Interestingly enough the economic side of this the economic opportunity for the US to put pressure on North Korea really hasn't been put into place. You know up until just recently Zimbabwe with more sanctioned in North Korea was. So they're all sorts of things they can be done you look at the Chinese economy 90% of the trade from North Korea goes into China there's lots of things the Chinese can do. There are lots of things we can due in 2005 we we shut down their banking access and it was like touching a while hot wired to a nerve. So there are lots things they can be done but the danger is if you push too hard on the economic side that fragile North Korean economy. Could collapse and there could be some sort of a revenge attack were offensive by Kim Jung un. As his regime falls an incredibly delicate situation colonel Steve Dan you're very happy to have your analysis on a Sunday morning thank you.

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