A preemptive military strike is one of several options for dealing with North Korea that may be presented to President Trump in a White House strategy review document, The Wall Street Journal reports. The review includes a broad range of possibilities, running the gamut from forcible regime change to American acceptance of North Korea as a nuclear state.
Though the president has publicly maintained he will stay the course on U.S.-North Korean relations, "U.S. officials have underscored the possible military dimensions of their emerging strategy in recent discussions with allies," the Journal says, citing unnamed sources familiar with the diplomatic talks. For example, during Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's February meetings with Trump, military options were reportedly mentioned multiple times as a means of dealing with Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions.
The review comes amid the ongoing investigation of the assassination of Kim Jong Nam, the half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and follows Pyongyang's test launch of a ballistic missile into the Sea of Japan last month.