President Donald Trump took to Twitter early Sunday morning to react to North Korea’s claim that the country had detonated a hydrogen bomb as part of its sixth missile test, characterizing the actions as “hostile and dangerous to the United States” and criticizing China and South Korea.
The tweets come before Trump met with his national security team to discuss the development. He is expected to do so later on Sunday, said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.
The nuclear test triggered a 5.7 magnitude tremor in the northeast part of North Korea, which the country claimed was the detonation of the hydrogen bomb that can fit inside a ballistic missile.
“Their words and actions continue to be very hostile and dangerous to the United States,” Trump wrote on Twitter at 7:30 A.M. eastern time, calling the detonation “a major Nuclear Test.”
Trump also criticized North Korea’s neighbors, China and South Korea, claiming the test was an “embarrassment” to the former and an indication the latter’s tactic of appeasement was failing.
“..North Korea is a rogue nation which has become a great threat and embarrassment to China, which is trying to help but with little success,” he wrote. “South Korea is finding, as I have told them, that their talk of appeasement with North Korea will not work, they only understand one thing!”
The language of his tweets were not as strong as the rhetoric he employed after reports last month that North Korea had developed a warhead that could fit inside a missile. “They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen,” Trump said at the time. “He has been very threatening beyond a normal state. And as I said they will be met with fire, fury and frankly power the likes of which this world has never seen before.”
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Write to Alana Abramson at Alana.Abramson@time.com