Bad weather forces Donald Trump to skip surprise DMZ visit

Bad weather conditions have forced US President Donald Trump to abandon a surprise visit to the South Korean side of the demilitarised zone (DMZ), the heavily-fortified border separating the two Koreas. However, that did not stop him from issuing a stern warning to North Korea, saying Pyongyang's nuclear development is putting the hermit kingdom in "grave danger".

Trump is currently in South Korea as part of his 12-day-long tour to Asian countries – a trip which has been dominated by threats emerging from the Kim Jong-un regime. Earlier, it was announced that Trump would not make a visit to the DMZ unlike his predecessors, but tour a military facility instead.

Still, it appeared there was a secret last-minute attempt by the American president and his delegation to visit the DMZ, where they were taken by helicopters, on Wednesday, 8 November. Reporters covering the presidential trip were summoned earlier in the morning than expected and were informed that they will be visiting the tense border zone.

However, the helicopters were forced to return due to heavy fog and mist, turning back minutes before landing at the inter-Korean frontier.

"There wasn't enough visibility to land. It would have been really dangerous," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders. "He's [Trump] actually pretty frustrated," she added.

Nonetheless, in his address to the South Korean parliament, Trump warned the North Korean regime against more provocations in the region. He told the assembly, "Do not underestimate us. Do not try us."

Then he directly addressed the North Korean leader, saying, "The weapons you're acquiring are not making you safer, they are putting your regime in grave danger."

The North's official state media is yet to release any statement on Trump's meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, but the rogue nation's main newspaper Rodong Sinmun has been heaping scorn on the visiting leader.

"Trump has flown to South Korea as he seeks to strengthen military threats against us and has an intention to light the fuse for a nuclear war. The problem is that South Korea is blindly following the US which is intent on the scheme for a nuclear war," said a report carried by Rodong Sinmun, the North's mouthpiece.