Much handwringing has started anew over North Korea and its perennial cry for attention via illegal missile-firings — the latest occurring on Monday, with three of four ballistic missiles landing in Japanese waters, practice for hitting U.S. military bases in Japan.

Neither the provocation by North Korea’s Kim Jong Un nor the cast of entangled countries is new. But what is new, concerningly, is uncertainty over policy directions under two neophyte administrations: that of U.S. President Donald Trump, and of the yet-unchosen successor to impeached South Korean President Park Geun Hye.

Soon after Trump took office, the White House ordered a comprehensive policy review on North Korea, to assess options for dealing with dictator Kim and Pyongyang. But the U.S. State Department has yet to update the status of the review, adding more anxiety to an already precarious Asia-Pacific situation.

One important show of priority, though: Rex Tillerson next week will make his first Asia trip as secretary of state to meet with top leaders in Japan, South Korea and China to assess “what our options are and new ways to look at resolving the situation,” a State Department spokesman said Wednesday. It will be a high-profile effort in diplomacy to counterbalance the escalating militarism that has increased tensions in the region.

And it is welcome evidence of continued allied strength between the U.S., Japan and South Korea: Last month, Defense Secretary James Mattis made his global debut in those two nations, vowing close cooperation against China and North Korea.

On Tuesday, the U.N. Security Council strongly condemned North Korea’s missile launches as “a grave violation” of its sanctions resolutions, and said the tests risk a regional arms race. Kim’s provocation spurred quick actions — most noticeably by the U.S. Pacific Command in Hawaii (PACOM) to accelerate deployment of the controversial THAAD (Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense) system, which can intercept and destroy ballistic missiles on their final phase of flight.

“North Korea’s accelerating program of nuclear weapons tests and ballistic missile launches constitute a threat to international peace and security, and are in violation of multiple United Nations Security Council resolutions,” said PACOM.

THAAD’s first-phase components are now in South Korea, but its siting there is opposed by China, which says the missile-defense system would enable tracking of any of its launches — and therefore, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said, “does harm to peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.”

China is condemning North Korea’s missile tests by blocking coal imports into its country. And it is punishing South Korea — for supporting THAAD and for hosting military exercises now underway with the U.S. — by suspending operations at Lotte Group’s China-based stores and ordering China travel agents to halt tour packages to South Korea. The annual exercises involve 300,000 South Korea soldiers and about 28,000 U.S. troops already there, plus 3,600 more U.S. service members.

Unfortunately, the Korean peninsula was thrown into further turmoil Friday, when South Korea’s Park was impeached over a corruption scandal. Her successor could be liberal politician Moon Jae In, who has gained favor by opposing the THAAD missile-defense system there — which would create another obstacle to U.S. interests.

These are precarious times, with escalating talk about arms and nuclear buildup amid shifting geopolitics in our Asia-Pacific part of the world.

All this puts pressure on the fledgling Trump administration to craft and finesse a policy direction that de-escalates tensions. The administration is weighing everything from military force to recognizing North Korea as a nuclear state, The Wall Street Journal reported.

We need to see that diplomacy ultimately carries the day. But given the Kim regime’s history, that will succeed only with the backing of military deterrence and solidarity between the U.S. and its allies. Just as importantly on the other side, China must step up to rein in North Korea’s unpredictable Kim, who experts say is preparing for a nuclear test.

Now more than ever, solidarity is needed — among the U.S. and its allies in the region, South Korea and Japan; and between Trump and his strategists on the military and diplomatic fronts. Simple yet difficult, the need to remain steadfast is paramount.