Kim Jong-un is leaving Trump with little choice

NORTH Korea is ratcheting its aggression to the point of no return, writes Paul Toohey. Kim Jong-un is leaving Donald Trump with few options.

South Korean President Moon Jae-In presides over an emergency meeting with National Security Council members at the presidential Blue House in Seoul on September 15, 2017 following North Korea's missile launch. (Pic: AFP)

WE already knew that the UN sanctions announced this week against North Korea would not make Kim Jong-un stop and think.

But his response, to fire a second missile over Japan in less than a month, may be one of his final acts of recklessness before open conflict is declared.

Kim is deliberately pushing US President Donald Trump into a position where he is forced to take action.

Whether strikes on North Korea are imminent depends on what will be decided in Washington over coming hours.

To let Kim’s latest provocation go unchallenged may be one proposal, but it will be low on the list of options.

Unfortunately, for the safety of Japan and South Korea, and all planes and shipping moving throughout the entire region, it has reached the point where there needs to be a military response to Pyongyang.

It is difficult to see any other alternative. Kim is now at the point where he appears determined to cause mass carnage.

North Korea has been dangerous for decades, but now it has ratcheted its aggression to the point of no turning back. Kim has ensured that this has now become a deadly crisis.

It can be expected that Trump will be talking to Chinese President Xi Jinping in coming hours.

The outside hope is that Xi does not merely give permission for Trump to take action, but commits China to ending the Kim dynasty.