Trump Urges North Korea To "Come To The Table"
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SEOUL (CBSMiami) - President Donald Trump arrived in South Korea on Tuesday for a 24-hour visit.
Mr. Trump met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in who said he hoped the president's visit would be a turning point in efforts to defuse the tension with North Korea.
President Trump's to Seoul will focus on trade as well as the threat from North Korea.
"We will together confront North Korea's actions and prevent the North Korean dictator from threatening millions of innocent lives," said Mr. Trump at a joint news conference with President Moon Jae-in.
Mr. Trump also back used more of a carrot than a stick approach when it came to getting North Korea to come to terms.
"I really believe it makes sense for North Korea to come to the table and to make a deal that's good for the people of North Korea and the people of the world," said President Trump.
But the president also vowed to defend America's ally.
"The U.S. stands prepared to defend itself and its allies using the full range of our unmatched military capabilities if need be," he said.
On Monday, President Trump's administration asked Congress for 4 billion more dollars to support missile defense to counter the threat from North Korea.
In a show of force, the U.S. this week flew B-1 bombers over Korea. And nearby, in the Sea of Japan, three American aircraft carriers are on track to conduct operations this week. The North blasted these moves as "hostile acts."
The president noted the presence of the three aircraft carrier groups and nuclear submarine in the region.
"We have unparalleled strength. There has never been strength like it. We hope, we hope, in fact, I'll go a step further, we hope to God we never have to use it," he said.
Not far away, there were protests for and against the America president's visit. Those against feared it would bring further conflict.
"Trump is now provoking war in Korean Peninsula. We deny Trump coming here and we deny Trump's bad words to provoke war," said one protestor.
The pro-Trump faction said North Korea must be dealth with aggressively.
President Trump's first stop after the news conference was the Army's Camp Humphreys south of Seoul where thousands of U.S. troops are stationed as a hedge against North Korean aggression.
There Mr. Trump appeared to soften his rhetoric on North Korea.
"It will all work out, cause it always works out, has to work out," he said.
That was a far cry from last August when he said North Korea's threats "will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen."
Just over a month ago, President Trump told Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Twitter that direct talks with North Korea were a waste of time. Shortly before that, he called North Korean's dictator Kim Jung Un "rocket man."
