US Ambassador: North Korea Is Begging for War

United Nations U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley addresses a U.N. Security Council meeting on North Korea, Sept. 4, 2017 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

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US Ambassador: North Korea Is Begging for War

The United States Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley says North Korea is “begging for war” as the U.N. Security Council meets on Monday to discuss North Korea’s latest nuclear test.

“Enough is enough. War is never something the United States wants. We don’t want it now. But our country’s patience is not unlimited,” Haley said.

South Korea's defense ministry said Monday it had found signs North Korea was preparing to test another ballistic missile. The ministry also announced plans to temporarily send four more launchers for the THAAD missile defense system.

Hours before the security council meeting, South Korea’s military fired missiles into the Sea of Japan. It was an exercise meant to look like an attack on North Korea’s nuclear test site.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, center, with a device said to be a nuclear weapon in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang, Sept. 3, 2017. (KCNA via REUTERS)

North Korea nuclear test

Over the weekend, North Korea said it tested a hydrogen bomb small enough to be carried by an intercontinental ballistic missile. The North claimed the test was a “perfect success.”

A U.S. intelligence official said the nuclear device detonated by North Korea on Sunday was 10 times more powerful than its fifth nuclear test a year ago.

“We're highly confident this was a test of an advanced nuclear device and what we've seen so far is not inconsistent with North Korea's claims,” the intelligence official said.

US warns of 'massive military response'

U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, repeated the warnings of President Donald Trump on Sunday. He said that North Korea can expect a “massive military response” if it threatens the United States, the U.S. territory of Guam or America's allies.

White House officials said the president has a range of retaliatory measures available to the U.S., including nuclear weapons.

Experts reacting to Secretary Mattis’s comments are hoping for diplomatic discussions instead of more tough military talk.

Frank Aum is a visiting scholar at the U.S.-Korea Institute. He said the United States needs to “get away from a military-centric approach to the North Korea problem set and reinvigorate diplomacy.”

The president, leaving a church service near the White House earlier Sunday, said only, “We'll see” when a reporter asked if he was planning to order an attack on North Korea.

Defense Secretary Jim Mattis, left, accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, right, makes a statement on North Korea to members of the media outside the White House in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 3, 2017

Trump might consider trade option

On Twitter, Trump said he is considering stopping all trade with any country doing business with North Korea, raising questions about what this could mean for U.S.-China commercial ties and the two countries' $650 billion in annual trade.

Any U.S. call for an economic boycott of countries doing business with North Korea would focus on China because Beijing is North Korea's major ally and its trading partner.

U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said he would prepare a new package of North Korea economic sanctions along these lines for consideration.

“We will work with our allies. We will work with China,” Mnuchin told a television interviewer Sunday. “But people need to cut off North Korea economically. This is unacceptable behavior.”

I’m Pete Musto.

Dorothy Gundy adapted this story for Learning English based on VOA and AP news reports. Hai Do was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

patiencen. the ability to wait for a long time without becoming annoyed or upset

ballistic missilen. a weapon that is shot through the sky over a great distance and then falls to the ground and explodes

detonate(d) – v. to cause something, such as a bomb, to explode

confidentadj. to strongly believe that something will happen or that something is true

inconsistentadj. not always acting or behaving in the same way

retaliatoryadj. something bad that is done to someone who has hurt you or treated you badly

scholarn. a person who has studied a subject for a long time and knows a lot about it

reinvigoratev. to return life and energy to someone or something

churchn. a building that is used for Christian religious services

sanction(s) – n. an action that is taken or an order that is given to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country or by not allowing economic aid for that country