N Korea plans to drop four missiles 40km from Guam
NORTH Korea has announced a detailed plan of how it would launch a volley of ballistic missiles toward the US Pacific territory of Guam, a major military hub and home to US bombers.
The announcement, made in the name of General Kim Rak Gyom, commander of the Strategic Force of the Korean People’s Army, warned the North was preparing the plan.
It is understood the North would fire four of its Hwasong-12 missiles over Japan and into waters around the tiny island that has 7000 US military personnel on two main bases and has a population of 160,000.
The North’s official news agency KCNA said the plan could be finalised within a week or so and would then go to leader Kim Jong-un for approval. It would be up to Mr Kim whether the move is carried out.
It said the missiles would enter the sea 30–40km from the island.
It is unclear whether North Korea would risk firing missiles so close to US territory because it could provoke countermeasures and further escalation.
North Korea frequently uses extremely bellicose rhetoric with warnings of military action to keep its adversaries on their heels.
It generally couches its threats with language stating it will not attack the United States unless it has
been attacked first or has determined an attack is imminent.
But the statement raised worries amid a barrage of threats from both sides.
North Korea called President Donald Trump’s warning earlier in the week of “fire and fury” a “load of nonsense” and only “absolute force can work on him”.
The news agency said Mr Trump “let out a load of nonsense about ‘fire and fury’,” adding “sound dialogue is not possible with such a guy bereft of reason and only absolute force can work on him”.
US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis warned Pyongyang the US and its allies would win any arms race or conflict.
“The DPRK (North Korea) should cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people,” Mr Mattis said in a statement.
Mr Trump followed up his “fire and fury” warning with a boast about US nuclear capabilities.
“My first order as President was to renovate
and modernise our nuclear arsenal,” Mr Trump said.
“It is now far stronger and more powerful than ever before.
“Hopefully we will never have to use this power, but there will never be a time that we are not the most powerful nation in the world!”
– news.com.au