President Donald Trump downplayed the possibility of future dialogue between North Korea and the United States on Wednesday when he tweeted "talking is not the answer."
"The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years," Trump tweeted. "Talking is not the answer!"
The U.S. has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 30, 2017
Trump's tweet followed the most recent ballistic missile test from Pyongyang on Tuesday morning. The North Korean missile flew over U.S.-ally Japan, and made it the second ballistic missile fired in four days. The president said "all options are on the table" in his initial statement Tuesday.
"The world has received North Korea's latest message loud and clear: this regime has signaled its contempt for its neighbors, for all members of the United Nations, and for minimum standards of acceptable international behavior," Trump said in a statement.
"Threatening and destabilizing actions only increase the North Korean regime's isolation in the region and among all nations of the world. All options are on the table," he added.
The missile test prompted Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to respond aggressively in denouncing North Korea's actions.
"This outrageous action of firing a missile over our country is an unprecedented, grave, and serious threat that seriously damages peace and security in the region," Abe said. "We have firmly protested to North Korea."
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley also delivered a strong statement Tuesday condemning the missile test.
"No country should have missiles flying over them like those 130 million people in Japan," Haley said. "It's unacceptable."
"They have violated every single U.N. Security Council resolution we have had," Haley added. "I think something serious has to happen."