World War 3: US strategy to take on North Korea revealed as Trump readies ‘strike group’

It comes after North Korea launched another provocative missile over Japan on Friday amid repeated threats to the US.

The White House will send B-1B strategic bombers, currently stationed in the US territory Guam, to the Korean region later this month ahead of joint military drills with South Korea in October.

A US aircraft carrier strike group will be used during the military training.

South Korea and the US will also conduct a combined missile alert drill joined by Japan between late September and early October, according to the ministry.

Earlier South Korea’s president Moon Jae-in vowed strong punishment on the North, adding the situation was the “most serious and urgent security issue in this region at the current moment”.

He added: “North Korea should realise that dialogue and cooperation, not nukes and missiles, are the only means to protect its security and guarantee a bright future.”

Moon had spoken Donald Trump earlier in a telephone call, where the pair agreed to exert stronger sanctions on the hermit kingdom following its nuclear and missile tests this week.

Park Soo-hyun, the spokesman for South Korea’s Blue House, said: “The two leaders agreed to strengthen cooperation, and exert stronger and practical sanctions on North Korea so that it realises provocative actions leads to further diplomatic isolation and economic pressure.”

The Blue House said Mr Moon and Mr Trump had strongly condemned the latest missile launch by North Korea, and agreed the two nations would work with the international community to implement the latest UN Security Council’s resolution 2375.

Mr Park did not reveal exactly what further sanctions would be placed on the North, but if they stopped oil imports from China they would be the strongest yet.

The two leaders’ phone call came after North Korea fired an unidentified missile early on Friday from the Sunan district in its capital, Pyongyang, over Japan.

North Korea’s state-run news agency, KCNA, yesterday released photos it claimed were of the latest missile test.

A series of pictures showed a ballistic missile at different stages of the launch while another showed dictator Kim Jong-un laughing and clapping his hands as several officials around him did the same while apparently watching the launch.

The despotic leader said his country’s “final goal” was “to establish the equilibrium of real force with the US and make the US rulers dare not talk about military option”.