Biden warns of ‘responses’ if North Korea ‘choose to escalate’

WASHINGTON, DC - MARCH 25: U.S. President Joe Biden answers questions during the first news conference of his presidency in the East Room of the White House on March 25, 2021 in Washington, DC. On the 64th day of his administration, Biden, 78, faced questions about the coronavirus pandemic, immigration, gun control and other subjects. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images/AFP (Photo by CHIP SOMODEVILLA / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP)

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President Joe Biden said Thursday the United States will “respond accordingly” if North Korea escalates its missile testing.

“We are consulting with our partners and allies,” Biden said at his first White House press conference. “And there will be responses if they choose to escalate. We will respond accordingly.”

Biden told reporters he was “prepared for some form of diplomacy” with North Korea but it “has to be conditioned upon the end result of denuclearization.”

North Korea fired two suspected ballistic missiles into the sea Thursday, in its first substantive provocation to Biden’s new administration.

Pyongyang is banned from developing any ballistic missiles under UN Security Council resolutions and is under multiple international sanctions over its weapons programs.

Biden said the North had violated UN resolutions by testing “those particular missiles.”

The new US president also replied “yes” when asked if North Korea was the top foreign policy issue he was watching.

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