Call on President Trump to adopt a strategy of diplomacy, sanctions and regional military deterrence in light of nuclear program acceleration

Washington (March 2, 2017) – Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Al Franken (D-Minn.) today called on President Donald Trump to take urgent steps to address the North Korean nuclear and ballistic missile threat, including coercive diplomacy, enforcement of sanctions, and a strengthened regional military deterrence posture with allies. In their letter, the Senators urge the president to communicate to U.S. allies and partners the U.S. interest in resuming talks with North Korea on denuclearization and security issues, as well as to reach out to North Korea to begin talks about restarting negotiations. The Senators also call on the President to maintain the continued deployment of U.S. forces in South Korea and to tighten enforcement of unilateral sanctions, and to push China to more effectively implement multilateral sanctions mandated by the United Nations Security Council.

“We believe that only a comprehensive approach that couples pressure with active diplomatic engagement will enable us to achieve our longstanding goal of a nuclear-free Korean peninsula,” said Senator Markey. “As such, we urge you to adopt a strategy of active diplomatic engagement with North Korea, backed by rigorous sanctions enforcement and a robust military deterrence posture in cooperation with our regional partners.”

A copy of the Senators’ letter can be found HERE.

Last year alone, Pyongyang tested two nuclear devices and carried out multiple ballistic missile tests. In recent months, it has threatened to accelerate its effort to develop a long-range missile capable of delivering a nuclear payload to the territory of the United States. Last month, North Korea conducted another missile test, this time a solid-fueled medium-range, mobile system.