US President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the United States will deal very successfully with a possible Christmas "gift" from North Korea
WASHINGTON (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 24th December, 2019) US President Donald Trump told reporters on Tuesday that the United States will deal very successfully with a possible Christmas "gift" from North Korea.Tensions in the region have risen amid the breakdown in denuclearization talks between Pyongyang and Washington. On December 3, North Korean Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ri Thae Song warned that the United States could expect a "Christmas gift" from Pyongyang.
"That's ok, we'll find what the surprise is, and we'll deal with it very successfully. Let's see what happens. Everybody's got surprises for me, but let's see what happens," Trump said.
In response to North Korea's warnings, the United States has stepped up surveillance efforts in the Korean Peninsula. According to Aircraft Spots, a military aviation tracker that posts on Twitter, the United States is conducting almost daily reconnaissance flights in the region.
"We'll see what happens. Let's see. Maybe it's a nice present, maybe it's a present where he sends me a beautiful vase as opposed to a missile test," Trump said. "I may get a vase, I may get a nice present. You don't know, you never know."
Earlier on Tuesday, the South Korean military said it has not detected any suspicious moves by North Korea despite the possibility that it may conduct a missile test ahead of the Christmas holidays as a "Christmas gift."
South Korean Defense Minister Jeong Kyeong-doo visited the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff command and control center on Saturday to check its readiness, Yonhap reported.
Since 2018, North Korea and the United States have held two bilateral summits in which both parties strove to normalize relations and push for denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.
Negotiations have come to a halt in recent months after the United States demanded more decisive steps from North Korea, while Pyongyang criticized Washington for not reciprocating its goodwill gestures. North Korea conducted missile tests in the Sea of Japan in September and October.
