Into the Great Kim Jung Unknown

“North Korea would do well not to test his resolve — or the strength of the armed forces of the United States in this region.” Over the weekend, VP Mike Pence stopped in South Korea to warn its northern neighbor not to test Trump, and to reiterate that “the era of strategic patience is over.” (Only in politics could someone come out against strategy and patience.)

+ North Korea responds by saying they will test missiles weekly.

+ “The current standoff has grown only more volatile. It pits a new president’s vow never to allow North Korea to put American cities at risk — ‘It won’t happen!’ he said on Twitter on Jan. 2 — against a young, insecure North Korean leader who sees that capability as his only guarantee of survival.” A great (if upsetting) overview from Sanger and Broad in the NYT: A ‘Cuban Missile Crisis in Slow Motion’ in North Korea.