North Korea’s ruler says he won’t launch missiles towards Guam, easing the immediate threat against the U. S. territory
North Korea’s autocratic ruler has decided not to launch missiles toward Guam, Pyongyang’s state media reported Tuesday, easing the immediate threat of an attack on the U. S. territory in the western Pacific.
The North Korean statement said Kim Jong Un could change his mind “if the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions, ” in which case the country’s artillerymen would “wring the windpipes of the Yankees and point daggers at their necks.”
The announcement appeared shortly after Defense Secretary James N. Mattis warned that an attack could quickly escalate to war, although it’s unclear if the developments were linked.
“If they fire at the United States it could escalate into war very quickly, ” Mattis told reporters at the Pentagon. “That’s called war, if they shoot at us … You don’ t shoot at people in this world unless you want to bear the consequences.”
Mattis cited a classic Hollywood political satire about nuclear war to say he wasn’t drawing red lines or making idle threats to spark a confrontation.
“It’s not declaring war — it’s not that I’ m over here, Dr. Strangelove, doing things like that, ” he said.
North Korea tested an intercontinental ballistic missile last month for the first time, and U. S. intelligence agencies assess that Pyongyang can build a nuclear warhead small enough to fit atop a long-range missile, although it’s not clear if it can target U. S. cities.
The latest missile tests led to a sharp rise in tensions. The United Nations Security Council voted unanimously to add new sanctions on North Korea, and President Trump warned he would unleash «fire and fury» if Pyongyang continued its threats.
In response, North Korea said Kim was reviewing a plan to fire four mid-range missiles over Japan and into international waters at least 20 miles off Guam, where the U.
