During his speech to the United Nations on Sept. 19, President Donald Trump strongly denounced North Korea for its threats against other nations, and for causing the starvation deaths of millions of its own citizens.
“No nation on earth has an interest in seeing this band of criminals arm itself with nuclear weapons and missiles,” Trump said. “It is time for all nations to work together to isolate the Kim regime.”
Trump responded to Clinton on Sept. 20, stating on Twitter, “After allowing North Korea to research and build Nukes while Secretary of State (Bill C also), Crooked Hillary now criticizes.”
What Trump referred to was Bill Clinton’s diplomatic Joint Framework Agreement in 1994, where the former president provided aid to North Korea in exchange for the regime ending its nuclear weapons programs.
Bill Clinton said at the time, “This is a good deal for the United States. North Korea will freeze and then dismantle its nuclear program. South Korea and our other allies will be better protected. The entire world will be safer as we slow the spread of nuclear weapons.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=29&v=6TcbU5jAavw
The program failed, however. North Korea accepted the aid, but continued developing nuclear weapons all the same.
Despite the decision from Congress, it states, Clinton “used his authority to divert $15 million from special funds in order to fulfill the U.S. commitment” to his agreement with North Korea.
The “strategic patience” strategy involved backing off from North Korea, while also not continuing other failed aid programs given to North Korea under former President George W. Bush. The result, according to Politico, was “The North Koreans were infuriated, and more nuclear and missile tests ensued, along with open hostilities between North and South Korea in 2010.”
It quotes Matthew Bunn, a nuclear non-proliferation expert at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, saying that “In my view, ’strategic patience' was a polite term for sitting back and watching while North Korea continued to build up its nuclear weapons program.”
Defense Secretary James Mattis said on Sept. 19 the sanctions appear to be working, according to the Department of Defense.