South Korea's President: 'There Will Be No War'

Concerned about a possible war on the Korean peninsula? Don't be—it won't happen, says South Korea, which claims President Trump won't strike North Korea without its say-so. "No matter what options the United States and President Trump want to use, they have promised to have full consultation with South Korea and get our consent in advance," President Moon Jae-in said in a televised press conference Thursday, per the New York Times. "This is a firm agreement between South Korea and the United States. The people can be assured that there will be no war." How committed the Trump administration is to this apparent agreement is unclear, however, given conflicting statements from government officials.

Gen. Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, for instance, just spent three days trying to convince China to take a tougher stance with North Korea—noting the US is ready for military intervention if need be—only to have Steve Bannon state in an interview that "there's no military solution." Trump's chief strategist instead suggested 28,500 US troops might withdraw from South Korea if it means an end to North Korea's nuclear program, though he told the American Prospect such a move was unlikely. War is just as unlikely, according to Moon, who isn't taking Trump's recent "fire and fury" comments at face value. They were likely meant to "put pressure on North Korea," not show "an intent to realize a military action," he says. (More North Korea stories.)