North Koreans remain unmoved by tough-talking American administration

Although the US claims it is ready to ‘solve’ North Korea, the people there don’t seem to care much for the rhetoric, says Hyung-jin Kim.

The clouds of war, it might seem, are gathering around the Korean Peninsula.

The North Korean government flaunts an increasingly sophisticated arsenal of intercontinental missiles and launches a midrange version, which apparently fails seconds after takeoff. The US moves an immense warship to the waters off the peninsula in a display of military might. President Donald Trump warns he’s ready to “solve North Korea”, while North Korea’s deputy foreign minister says his country will conduct its next nuclear test whenever it sees fit.