advertisement

The Latest: Trump: We can't let NKorea build better missiles

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - The Latest on North Korea test-firing a missile (all times local):

10:30 p.m.

President Donald Trump has been asked about the failure of several North Korean missile tests recently and why those launches keep blowing up.

Trump tells CBS' "Face the Nation" television show on Sunday that he'd "rather not discuss it. But perhaps they're just not very good missiles. But eventually, he'll have good missiles."

Trump also told the show he's not going to talk about U.S. military options with North Korea because "we shouldn't be announcing all our moves. It is a chess game. I just don't want people to know what my thinking is. So eventually, he will have a better delivery system. And if that happens, we can't allow it to happen."

He also called North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un "a pretty smart cookie" for being able to hold onto power after taking over the reclusive Asian nation at a young age.

___

10:10 p.m.

Trump's national security adviser, Army Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, says North Korea's most recent missile test represents "open defiance of the international community." He says North Korea poses "a grave threat" not just to the United States and its Asian allies, but also to China.

Speaking on "Fox News Sunday," McMaster says it's important "for all of us to confront this regime, this regime that is pursuing the weaponization of a missile with a nuclear weapon. This is something that we know we cannot tolerate."

McMaster says Trump "has made clear that he is going to resolve this issue one way or the other, and what we prefer to do is to work with others, China included, to resolve this situation short of military action."

That means, he said, working with partners in the region and globally on enforcing current U.N. sanctions and perhaps "ratcheting up those sanctions even further. And it also means being prepared for military operations if necessary."

McMaster said North Korea "is a place where U.S. and Chinese interests overlap."

___

9:45 p.m.

Seoul's presidential Blue House says White House National Security Adviser H. R. McMaster has confirmed that the U.S. won't be seeking South Korean money for the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense system, or THAAD, currently being installed in the country's south.

President Donald Trump said last week that he would make the Asian ally pay $1 billion for the THAAD missile defense system now being deployed in its territory.

The Blue House said in a statement Sunday that McMaster and South Korea's Director of National Security Kim Kwan Jin spoke on the phone and reaffirmed a previous bilateral deal on cost-bearing for the THAAD deployment.

South Korea's Defense Ministry has previously said that under an agreement reached during the administration of Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama, South Korea offers the land and facilities for THAAD but not the cost of operations.

___

8:38 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he believes China's president has been putting pressure on North Korea as it pursues its missile and nuclear weapons programs.

In an interview with CBS' "Face the Nation," Trump says he won't be happy if North Korea conducts a nuclear test and that he believes Chinese President Xi Jinping won't be happy, either.

Asked if that means military action, Trump responded: "I don't know. I mean, we'll see."

The interview is set to air later Sunday in the U.S.

___

5:35 a.m.

Pope Francis is warning that "a good part of humanity" will be destroyed if tensions with North Korea escalate, and he is calling for diplomacy and a revived United Nations to take the lead in negotiating a resolution.

Francis was asked as he traveled back to Rome from Egypt on Saturday local time (Sunday morning Seoul time) about North Korean ballistic missile tests and U.S. warnings of "catastrophic" consequences if the world fails to stop them. He was asked specifically what he would tell U.S. President Donald Trump, who has sent a U.S. carrier to conduct drills near the Koreas, and other leaders to try to diffuse the tensions.

Francis says he would urge them to use diplomacy and negotiation "because it's the future of humanity."

"Today, a wider war will destroy not a small part of humanity, but a good part of humanity and culture. Everything. Everything, no? It would be terrible. I don't think humanity today could bear it," he told reporters.

A South Korean protester holds up a card during a rally to oppose a plan to deploy the advanced U.S. missile defense system called Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, near U.S. Embassy in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 29, 2017. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) The Associated Press
A man watches a TV news program reporting about North Korea's missile firing with a file footage, at Seoul Train Station in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 29, 2017. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the second such test-fire flop in recent weeks but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. The letters on top left, reading "North Korea fired a ballistic missile." (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) The Associated Press
The USS Carl Vinson sails offshore Nagasaki prefecture, southern Japan Saturday, April 29, 2017. The USS Carl Vinson is heading north toward the Korean peninsula in a show of force after satellite images suggested North Korea may be preparing to conduct a nuclear test. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (Kyodo News via AP) The Associated Press
The USS Carl Vinson sails offshore Nagasaki prefecture, southern Japan Saturday, April 29, 2017. The USS Carl Vinson is heading north toward the Korean peninsula in a show of force after satellite images suggested North Korea may be preparing to conduct a nuclear test. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (Kyodo News via AP) The Associated Press
South Korean Foreign Ministry's spokesman Cho June-hyuck speaks to the media during a briefing at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 29, 2017. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) The Associated Press
South Korean Foreign Ministry's spokesman Cho June-hyuck speaks to the media during a briefing at the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, South Korea, Saturday, April 29, 2017. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man) The Associated Press
The USS Carl Vinson sails offshore Nagasaki prefecture, southern Japan Saturday, April 29, 2017. The USS Carl Vinson is heading north toward the Korean peninsula in a show of force after satellite images suggested North Korea may be preparing to conduct a nuclear test. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (Kyodo News via AP) The Associated Press
In this Tuesday, April 25, 2017 photo released by the U.S. Navy, the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Wayne E. Meyer, left, is underway alongside the Republic of Korea multirole guided-missile destroyer Wang Geon during a bilateral exercise. Wayne E. Meyer was on a scheduled western Pacific deployment with aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson. (Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Kelsey L. Adams/U.S. Navy via AP) The Associated Press
FILE - In this April 15, 2017 file photo, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves during a military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea to celebrate the 105th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the country's late founder and grandfather of current ruler Kim Jong Un. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, April 29, South Korea and the United States said, the second such test-fire flop in recent weeks but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) The Associated Press
The USS Carl Vinson sails offshore Nagasaki prefecture, southern Japan Saturday, April 29, 2017. The USS Carl Vinson is heading north toward the Korean peninsula in a show of force after satellite images suggested North Korea may be preparing to conduct a nuclear test. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (Kyodo News via AP) The Associated Press
The USS Carl Vinson sails offshore Nagasaki prefecture, southern Japan Saturday, April 29, 2017. The USS Carl Vinson is heading north toward the Korean peninsula in a show of force after satellite images suggested North Korea may be preparing to conduct a nuclear test. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (Kyodo News via AP) The Associated Press
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson addresses the Security Council at United Nations headquarters, Friday, April 28, 2017. Turning to diplomacy after flexing military muscle, the United States urged the U.N. Security Council on Friday to increase economic pressure on North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, leaning on China in particular to turn the screws on its wayward ally. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) The Associated Press
China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi speaks at a bilateral meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, unseen, adjacent to the Security Council at United Nations headquarters, Friday, April 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Richard Drew) The Associated Press
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson listens to the debate during a Ministerial level Security Council meeting on the situation in North Korea, Friday, April 28, 2017 at United Nations headquarters. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer) The Associated Press
In this Wednesday, April 26, 2017 photo released by the U.S. Navy, the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, center, leads the U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Lake Champlain, right front, and the Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Michael Murphy with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Atago-class guided-missile destroyer JS Ashigara, left front, and the JMSDF Murasame-class destroyer JS Samidare during a transit of the Philippine Sea toward the Korean Peninsula for an exercise with South Korea. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Sean M. Castellano/U.S. Navy via AP) The Associated Press
People walk past a TV news showing an image of North Korean troops while reporting North Korea's missile test, in Tokyo, Saturday, April 29, 2017. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) The Associated Press
A man walks past a TV news showing an image of USS aircraft carrier Carl Vinson while reporting North Korea's missile test, in Tokyo, Saturday, April 29, 2017. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) The Associated Press
People walk past a TV news showing an image of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un while reporting North Korea's missile test, in Tokyo, Saturday, April 29, 2017. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) The Associated Press
A PAC-3 Patriot missile unit is deployed against the North Korea's missile firing at the Defense Ministry in Tokyo, Saturday, April 29, 2017. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara) The Associated Press
FILE - In this Saturday, April 15, 2017, file photo, a North Korean national flag flutters as soldiers in tanks salute to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during a military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea to celebrate the 105th birth anniversary of Kim Il Sung, the country's late founder and grandfather of the current ruler. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, April 29, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E, File) The Associated Press
South Korean Army K-9 self-propelled howitzers move during the annual exercise in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Saturday, April 29, 2017. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) The Associated Press
South Korean army K-9 self-propelled howitzers move during the annual exercise in Paju, South Korea, near the border with North Korea, Saturday, April 29, 2017. A North Korean mid-range ballistic missile apparently failed shortly after launch Saturday, South Korea and the United States said, the third test-fire flop just this month but a clear message of defiance as a U.S. supercarrier conducts drills in nearby waters. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon) The Associated Press
Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.