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During Wednesday’s White House press briefing, spokesman Josh Earnest discussed national security concerns with regards to North Korea and its nuclear efforts.
When asked whether military action is a possibility if North Korea refuses to commit to disarming its nuclear weapons program, Earnest deflected, saying that the White House “would like” North Korea to change its behavior and that the U.S. can achieve that aim through “tenacious diplomatic engagement.”
“The interests of the United States can be successfully advanced through principled, focused, tenacious diplomatic engagement,” said Earnest, “and that’s what we’re going to continue to pursue.”
“If sanctions and diplomacy don’t work, is military action on the table if North Korea continues to march toward a nuclear weapon?” a reporter asked.
“The thing that I should reiterate at this point is the rock solid commitment on the part of the United States to the safety and security of our allies in South Korea,” Earnest replied. “But at this point, what we want the North Koreans to do … is we want the North Koreans to end their provocative acts, both in the form of missile tests and nuclear tests; to commit to de-nuclearization; and to demonstrate a commitment to pursuing peace and stability on the Korean peninsula."
“We would like the North Koreans to begin to orient their public posture and their behavior in the direction of constructive international engagement,” he went on.
"We’re not asking them to do that out of charity," Earnest added. "We actually also believe that that would be in the interests of the North Korean people and certainly the broader region.”
That'll have them shaking in their boots.
Watch a brief clip of White House spokesman Josh Earnest's remarks below.