NEW YORK/WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in will hold talks on North Korea’s nuclear crisis on Thursday amid tensions over whether Trump’s harsh rhetoric against North Korean leader Kim Jong Un could lead to a miscalculation.
US officials scrambled to stress diplomatic options remained open after Trump used his UN General Assembly speech on Tuesday to threaten to “totally destroy” nuclear-armed North Korea and blast Kim as a “rocket man” on a suicide mission.
Trump and Moon are to sit down at midday on the last day of Trump’s four-day visit to New York, where he met with a flurry of foreign leaders gathered for the annual UN event.
Trump will first meet Moon, then have lunch with Moon and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, then meet separately with Abe.
Publicly, the South Korean government described Trump’s speech as an expression of how serious the US views the North Korean nuclear challenge.
“We view the speech as portraying a firm and specific stance on the key issues regarding keeping peace and safety that the international community and the United Nations are faced with,” Moon’s office said in a statement on Wednesday.
But two senior South Korean diplomats, interviewed by Reuters, expressed concern that Trump’s rhetoric could provoke a miscalculation from Kim and prompt him to launch an attack.
The diplomats also said the two governments are not communicating the same message, with South Korea saying it cannot afford another war on the Korean peninsula.
“Any allies can’t be on the exact same page on every matter but it’s concerning that we are giving the impression that the two countries have different voices,” one diplomat said.
A senior US official dismissed the South Korean diplomats’ worries about a miscalculation and said a cautious approach by past US administrations had not stopped North Korea from developing nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles.
“They’re always worried about that,” the official said. “The cautious, go-slow approach of strategic patience has gotten us to where we are.”
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters on Wednesday night that US-led sanctions against North Korea are starting to take effect with the North experiencing fuel shortages.
US President Trump, South Korea’s Moon to meet amid tensions over North Korea
US President Trump, South Korea’s Moon to meet amid tensions over North Korea
Indonesian army deploys snipers on key highway to safeguard Eid exodus
- Nearly 144m Indonesians to take part in annual homecoming rush
- About 161,000 security personnel deployed to oversee their safety
JAKARTA: Indonesia's military and police will deploy special task forces, including snipers, to the main travel route in Sumatra to manage security during the annual homecoming rush, when millions of people will commute between cities and islands to observe Eid Al-Fitr with family.
Locally known as “mudik,” the Eid exodus is one of the world’s greatest seasonal migrations, with travelers braving enormous traffic jams, thousands of kilometers, and exhaustion to make it home for the holiday that marks the end of Ramadan.
Out of nearly 144 million Indonesians, or over half of the total population, who are expected to take part in the annual tradition this year, millions will take the highways of South Sumatra province, where security measures are heightened to oversee the safety of the travelers.
“We are deploying snipers to support security operations during the 2026 Eid homecoming period,” Maj. Gen. Ujang Darwis, chief of the military command in the province, told reporters.
“The National Police will be working together with us to ensure safety for the public, our officers will strengthen security throughout the exodus route and anticipate any potential crime.”
The snipers will be located along the Kayu Agung-Palembang-Betung highway, a key route for travelers to reach Sumatran cities from Lampung, a transit province connecting Java and Sumatra islands, he added.
Transportation Minister Dudy Purwagandhi has said that South Sumatra has “a strategic position” as the “main hub for connectivity” on Sumatra island.
Across Indonesia, 161,000 security personnel are being deployed in 2,746 locations in the country as part of national security measures during the annual homecoming period, which will officially start on Friday.
More than 76 million Indonesians are expected to travel with private cars, while 24 million will be using motorbikes and another 23 million are traveling by bus.
Authorities are expecting the exodus to peak next Wednesday, when almost 22 million people will hit the road early to reach their hometowns before the first day of Eid.
Heightened security measures along Indonesia’s main roads will be in place until the end of the long holiday on March 25.
