North Korea’s nuclear threat Partially or fully unrealized policy

“Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!”

After taking office, Trump has repeatedly accused previous presidents of failing to deal with the North Korean nuclear issue, saying it now falls to him to handle it. But his approach has borne many of the same hallmarks as the Obama administration’s “strategic patience” policy. He has used a combination of diplomatic barbs and increasingly tough sanctions, both direct and through the United Nations, to try to put “maximum pressure” on Kim Jong Un to change his ways. Trump has, however, done it in notably more colorful language than this predecessors, mocking Kim as “Little Rocket Man” and talking much more often about military options. Still, Trump has conceded that the solution is “not as simple as people would think.”

recent events

January 16 | North Korea’s official news agency calls Trump a “lunatic” and a “loser” in response to his nuclear button tweet. Meanwhile, Trump called Chinese President Xi Jinping to discuss the situation.

January 4 | Trump agrees to delay the annual joint military exercises with South Korea until after the Winter Olympics in what appears to be an effort to avoid antagonizing North Korea.

January 2 | Trump tweets that sanctions are having a “big impact” on the regime and that North Korean soldiers are “dangerously fleeing to South Korea.” Later in the day, he adds that he has his own “button” -- and that it’s “much bigger.”

January 2 | South Korea says it welcomes talks with North Korea, but U.S. officials remain wary.

January 1 | In a New Year’s Day speech, Kim says he has a “nuclear button” but he vowed not to use it unless threatened. He also offered to begin dialogue with South Korea.

December 26, 2017 | The Trump administration imposes sanctions on two North Korean officials who are considered key to their country’s development of ballistic missiles.

December 22, 2017 | The U.N. Security Council votes to place additional sanctions on North Korea after its most recent missile launch.

November 29, 2017 | North Korea lofts a missile 2,796 miles high. With a normal trajectory, the missile has an estimated range of more than 8,000 miles, making it technically capable of reaching the U.S. Capitol. How four recent launches signaled new leaps in North Korea’s missile capabilities

November 20, 2017 | Trump re-designates North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism, a move aimed at increasing pressure over the country’s nuclear weapons and missile program. The George W. Bush administration removed Pyongyang from the list in 2008. Trump called the decision “a very critical step” that “should’ve happened a long time ago.”

September 21, 2017 | Trump announces an executive order that grants authority to the Treasury Department to enforce economic sanctions on North Korea and companies and individuals that do business with the rogue nation in Northeast Asia.

September 19, 2017 | Speaking at the U.N. General Assembly, Trump threatens to “totally destroy North Korea” as well as target rogue regimes. “Rocket Man is on a suicide mission for himself,” Trump said, referring to a nickname he gave North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Twitter.

September 14, 2017 | North Korea fires another missile that flies over the Japanese island of Hokkaido. The missile was launched from a site near Pyongyang, according to South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff.

September 11, 2017 | The U.N. Security Council agrees unanimously to impose the toughest sanctions yet against North Korea. The sanctions intend to deprive the country of the income it needs to maintain its nuclear and ballistic missile program.

September 3, 2017 | North Korea carries out its sixth nuclear test -- the first since Trump took office. The reclusive nation claims the nuclear device was a hydrogen bomb capable of reaching the United States.

August 30, 2017 | “Talking is not the answer!” Trump tweets as Mattis meets with South Korea’s defense minister at the Pentagon. Mattis tells reporters: “We’re never out of diplomatic solutions.”

August 29, 2017 | In an unprecedented move, North Korea launches a ballistic missile that flies over Japan. In response, Trump says “all options are on the table.”

August 25, 2017 | North Korea launches three short-range missiles into the sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan in what some say is a response to the ongoing military exercises between the United States and South Korea.

August 22, 2017 | The Treasury Department places sanctions on Chinese and Russian individuals and companies it said had conducted business with North Korea in an effort to further isolate the country.

August 17, 2017 | Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis clarify that the Trump administration’s North Korea policy is focused on diplomatic and economic pressure.

August 10, 2017 | Trump escalates his rhetoric on North Korea, saying his earlier statement may not have been “tough enough.”

August 9, 2017 | Trump says he will “renovate and modernize” the U.S. nuclear arsenal. Officials say Trump’s threats to North Korea from the previous day were unscripted and spontaneous. North Korea says Trump lacks reason and that its plan to attack Guam will be complete by mid-August.

August 8, 2017 | Trump warns North Korea that it will be faced with “fire and fury” if continues to threaten the United States. It is his harshest language yet against the regime. North Korea responds by saying it is reviewing plans to target the U.S. territory Guam, according to state media.

August 8, 2017 | In a new confidential assessment, U.S. analysts say that North Korea has successfully produced a miniaturized nuclear warhead that can fit inside its missiles.

August 5, 2017 | The U.N. Security Council votes unanimously on a U.S.-sponsored resolution to impose new sanctions on North Korea.

August 1, 2017 | Secretary of State Rex Tillerson tells reporters “We are trying to convey to the North Koreans: ‘We are not your enemy, we are not your threat. But you are presenting an unacceptable threat to us, and we have to respond.’”

July 21, 2017 | The Trump administration announces a restriction on U.S. citizens traveling to North Korea in an apparent response to the detention of three U.S. citizens and the death of a young University of Virginia student.

July 5, 2017 | U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley calls the North Korean nuclear launch “a clear and sharp military escalation” and calls for new U.N. sanctions.

July 4, 2017 | North Korea launches a test of what appears to be an intercontinental ballistic missile. Military officials and missile experts confirm that Pyongyang can now strike targets thousands of miles away. North Korea's ICBM test

June 30, 2017 | Trump denounces North Korea’s “reckless and brutal” regime alongside South Korean President Moon Jae-in in a show of solidarity, but doesn’t provide further details of U.S. policy.

June 29, 2017 | The Treasury Department announces new sanctions against North Korea targeting a Chinese bank that is accused of financing the regime. President Trump hosts South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House.

June 28, 2017 | National security adviser H.R. McMaster says Trump’s strategy toward North Korea is a different approach than previous administrations. “The president asked us to prepare a range of options, including a military option that no one wants to take,” McMaster said.

June 20, 2017 | Trump tweets that China has failed to rein in North Korea: “While I greatly appreciate the efforts of President Xi & China to help with North Korea, it has not worked out. At least I know China tried!” White House press secretary Sean Spicer says the U.S. is “moving further away” from direct engagement with Pyongyang following Warmbier’s death.

June 14, 2017 | Tillerson says the Trump administration has asked China to act against Chinese businesses and individuals helping North Korea to evade international sanctions.

June 13, 2017 | Warmbier, in a coma, is released by North Korea after being held for more than a year. Three other U.S. citizens remain in prison.

June 12, 2017 | Mattis declares North Korea the No. 1 threat that the United States faces, moving it above Russia. Meanwhile, Yun meets with three Americans still detained in North Korea while attempting to secure Warmbier’s release.

June 6, 2017 | Officials from North Korea’s Foreign Ministry meet Joseph Yun, the U.S. special representative to North Korea, in New York. The topic of discussion is the deteriorating health of Otto Warmbier, the University of Virginia student held in Pyongyang. Yun prepares to travel to North Korea with the intent to secure Warmbier’s release.

May 15, 2017 | The White House once again calls for tougher sanctions against North Korea following a ballistic missile test by the regime.

May 4, 2017 | Joseph Yun, the U.S. special representative to North Korea, meets top North Korean Foreign Ministry officials in Oslo, Norway. North Korea agrees to allow Swedish diplomats to visit with American detainees. The back-channel deal is a hopeful sign that relations might improve.

May 3, 2017 | Tillerson says the administration is just at the beginning stages of its campaign to pressure North Korea to give up nuclear weapons, and will negotiate with Pyongyang “when conditions are right.”

May 2, 2017 | Trump says he would be “honored” to meet Kim Jong Un, opening the potential of dialogue between the two leaders.

April 29, 2017 | A North Korean midrange ballistic missile fails shortly after launch.

April 28, 2017 | Approaching his 100th day in office, Trump says that conflict with North Korea is “immediate” but that he still seeks diplomacy.

April 27, 2017 | Trump praises Chinese President Xi’s approach to North Korea but warns of a possible “major, major conflict.”

April 27, 2017 | Trump insists South Korea should pay $1 billion for the missile defense system, aggravating the South Korean government. Trump has stated previously during the campaign that Seoul should pay more for its own defense.

April 26, 2017 | The U.S. military begins installing the controversial missile defense system THAAD in South Korea, despite protests from the likely winner of South Korea’s upcoming presidential election and criticism from China.

April 24, 2017 | Trump asks the U.N. Security Council to impose new sanctions on Pyongyang. China’s Xi urges restraint. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announces new sanctions against the Syrian government in response to the chemical weapons attack on April 4.

April 23, 2017 | North Korea detains another U.S. citizen at its airport, bringing the number of Americans held by the regime to four.

April 18, 2017 | Pictures posted by the U.S. Navy reveal that the USS Carlson was actually sailing away from the Korean Peninsula, contradicting claims that it was steaming north as a show of force against North Korea.

April 16, 2017 | North Korea fires a missile, but it fails.

April 15, 2017 | North Korea marks the birth anniversary of its founder with a massive military parade. A timeline of North Korea nuclear tests

April 14, 2017 | The Trump administration adopts a new North Korea strategy calling for “maximum pressure and engagement,” but not regime change.

April 13, 2017 | Trump says that the North Korea nuclear issue is more complicated than he thought after talking to China’s Xi. “After listening for 10 minutes, I realized it’s not so easy. I felt pretty strongly that they had a tremendous power [over] North Korea. . . . But it’s not what you would think,” Trump told the Wall Street Journal.

April 12, 2017 | Trump says that the U.S. is sending a powerful “armada” of naval vessels to the Korean Peninsula.

April 11, 2017 | “North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them! U.S.A.” Trump tweets

April 9, 2017 | The USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier is dispatched toward the Korean Peninsula as a show of force.

April 4, 2017 | North Korea fires a missile on the eve of a summit between Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

March 22, 2017 | North Korea fires a missile that explodes within seconds. It is a reassuring sign for observers who worry about the advancement of North Korea’s weapons program.

March 18, 2017 | North Korea conducts a rocket engine test “of historic significance.” The test coincides with Tillerson’s visit to China.

March 18, 2017 | China urges the United States to remain “coolheaded” over North Korea and not to turn its back on dialogue. Tillerson says that all options are on the table and that the Obama holdover policy of “strategic patience” is over.

March 17, 2017 | Trump criticizes China’s approach to curtailing North Korea’s nuclear threat in a tweet: “North Korea is behaving very badly. They have been ‘playing’ the United States for years. China has done little to help!”

March 16, 2017 | Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, on his first trip to Asia, says that 20 years of trying to persuade North Korea to abandon its nuclear program had failed and that he was visiting Asia “to exchange views on a new approach.”

March 12, 2017 | North Korea fires four ballistic missiles. Three land in waters near Japan. North Korea's nuclear targets

March 10, 2017 | South Korean President Park Geun-hye is impeached. The attention turns to her likely successor, Moon Jae-in, and whether he can reset relations with North Korea and China.

March 7, 2017 | Against China’s wishes, the U.S. military begins deploying an advanced defensive missile system to South Korea. The Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system is designed to shoot down enemy ballistic missiles. China warns of “consequences” for South Korea and the United States over the deployment.

March 6, 2017 | The White House says Trump called the leaders of Japan and South Korea to reaffirm U.S. commitment to stand against North Korea following the provocation.

March 5, 2017 | North Korea launches four missiles. The regime claims it was practicing to hit U.S. military bases in Japan.

March 2, 2017 | Trump warns that the United States will take unilateral action against North Korea if China doesn’t step in to help. “China has great influence over North Korea. And China will either decide to help us with North Korea, or they won’t,” Trump said in an interview with the Financial Times.

February 18, 2017 | China says it’s cutting off coal imports from North Korea in accordance with U.N. Security Council sanctions. The move is aimed to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear and missile program.

February 12, 2017 | North Korea tests a new midrange ballistic missile in its first major challenge to Trump as president.

January 2, 2017 | Trump tweets: “North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won’t happen!”