An expert who has authored a book on North Korea said Saturday not to be surprised if North Korean leader Kim John Un went into hiding following the U.S. missile strike against Syria, stating in an email to Fox News that American military power was more than likely something he had "dismissed before."
"Kim's father, Kim Jong Il, disappeared from public view for about six weeks in 2003 at the time of the Iraq war. Kim Jong Un loves the public spotlight, and it will be telling if he similarly goes into hiding," said Gordon Chang, a Daily Beast columnist and author of "Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On The World."
President Donald Trump's previous announcement on Sunday that the U.S. was prepared to act independently against North Korea, should China not assist in demanding a halt to their nuclear weapons program, was reinforced by the surprise U.S. missile attack against Syria on Thursday.
In a week that saw events unfolding daily, Trump's announcement Thursday about the U.S. missile strike against Syria happened against the backdrop of the president's Florida resort where he was hosting Chinese Leader Xi Jinping and his wife.
Chang indicated the Chinese president would certainly be understanding what the airstrike meant to his country as well, interpreting it as a "warning to China's People's Liberation Army, which had grown dismissive of the U.S. Navy and Air Force. Xi Jinping, the Chinese leader visiting Mar-a-Lago, almost certainly interpreted the strike as a sign of disrespect to him."
But, the U.S. is running out of options in dealing with the threat posed by the North Korean leader, according to Ret. Four-star Gen. Jack Keane, who told Fox News that the U.S. was "rapidly and dangerously heading towards the reality that the military option is the only one left when it comes to getting North Korea to denuclearize and not weaponized [intercontinental ballistic missiles]."
Trump veered from his previous opposition for the U.S. to get more deeply involved in Syria's civil war after the chemical strike by Syria earlier in the week against a northern city in the country where scores of civilians were killed. On Thursday, Trump ordered the surprise attack against a military air base in Syria, signaling he was prepared to act in the protection of U.S. interests.
The president was doing what he said he would do, according to Reva Goujon, vice president of Stratfor, a geopolitical analysis firm.
"This is Trump saying, ‘No, I am a man of my words,'" Goujon, told CNBC. "'When I make a threat, I will follow through.' That's certainly something the Chinese and North Koreans will be thinking about."
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