President Trump had a bad start in his governance in the United States, embroiled in bitter disputes with all kinds of people and suffering repeated frustration in promoting his agenda, but Trump has found a silver lining in dealing with North Korea’s nuclear and missile provocations. First, he has effectively replaced the previous administration’s “strategic patience” strategy with “maximum pressure and engagement.” Obama’s initial effort to freeze North Korea’s nuclear and missile tests came to a sudden end thanks to North Korea’s quick breach of agreement, signed with the United States on February 29, 2012, in which North Korea agreed to suspend operations at its Yongbyon uranium enrichment plant, invite IAEA inspectors to monitor the suspension, and implement moratoriums on nuclear and long-range missile tests, and the United States agreed to provide North Korea 240,000 metric tons of food aid under strict monitoring. After that, the Obama administration fell into a passive mode, dubbed strategic patience, which did not produce any positive change in North Korea’s relentless pursuit of nuclear-tipped missiles. There were four nuclear detonations and numerous missile tests during Obama’s era. As North Korea edged closer to becoming a state with a real nuclear deterrent, Trump inherited Obama’s hardline policy and, at the same time, decided to be more proactive in seeking an ultimate solution to North Korea’s nuclear and missile issue.

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