ABC News(NEW YORK) — North Korea is trying to show strength at home by detaining another U.S. citizen while overall Chinese pressure on the East Asian nation is “working,” U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said Monday morning.
“I think that North Korea’s been playing games from the very beginning,” Haley said Monday on ABC News’ Good Morning America.
“I mean what we’re seeing is that Kim Jong Un is trying to really show his strength to the people of North Korea, whether it’s just with all of these threats or what he’s trying to do in terms of talking in terms of trying to start a war. And what we’ve said is we don’t want war, so don’t start one,” she continued.
Tony Kim, a U.S. citizen and professor, was detained in North Korea Saturday while trying to leave the country with his wife.
Haley said the United States is going to work with China to negotiate his release. Kim is at least the third American citizen now detained in North Korea.
Haley also said that China has “shown genuine concern” in regard to rising tensions with North Korea after the country tested another missile earlier this month.
“I think really the power has been through China, they have shown genuine concern,” she said. “I think that they are trying to put the pressure on North Korea, and I think it’s working.”
Chinese state media reported that President Trump had a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping Monday in which Xi urged restraint in dealing with North Korea. Trump has pressured China to increase its economic pressure on the North Korean regime.
China has proposed that the U.S. suspend military exercises with South Korea in exchange for North Korea halting its nuclear program, a proposal Haley strongly rejected.
“We’re not going to do that,” Haley said, adding that the U.S. will protect South Korea.
“What we can say is South Korea has been an ally from the very beginning. We want to protect them just as we’re protecting ourselves, and that’s what we said we were going to do is we were going to have the backs of our allies and we were going to call out our adversaries,” she said.
When asked about how the president has modified campaign positions since entering office, Haley responded that he is reacting to changing times.
“I think it’s changing with the times,” Haley said. “I mean the times that we’re dealing with right now we’re seeing some aggression from some bad actors, we’re seeing the need for strength with our allies and we’re seeing the need that we have to show force when we have to show force. And I think what we’ve seen the president do is say that he’s not afraid to make a decision, he’s not afraid to act, and he’s going to change with the circumstances. And that’s exactly what we want to see in a leader.”
Trump will meet with Haley as well as the 15 members of the U.N. Security Council at the White House later Monday.
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