We are disappointed and disheartened that a denuclearization deal could not be reached with North Korea and at a significant loss of opportunity that presented itself between the two nations. We endeavor to look forward to a paradigm shift from North Korea in ridding itself of past negotiation history and behavior with the United States in gaining economic sanction relief in exchange for de-escalation but not denuclearization.

Our nation’s focus on developing, delivering and sustaining missile defense systems to negate North Korea’s nuclear ballistic missiles to our homeland, to Hawaii, to Guam and to our allies of Japan and South Korea enables the United States of America to walk away from negotiations with North Korea, when its not in our best interest, without fear and concern of their threat of nuclear ballistic missiles.

North Korea may choose to leverage the departure of the talks with rhetoric to increase its existing missile production, restart its nuclear testing, accelerate its ICBM testing and increase its proliferation of these technologies to directly threaten the United States, Japan, and South Korea.

The United States stands strong with confidence, reliability, readiness, and capability to negate North Korea’s threats, ignore their rhetoric and be receptive in remaining steadfast for the denuclearization of North Korea.