Trump ramps up warning to Kim

BRINKMANSHIP: NORTH KOREA STILL THREATENS GUAM US says retaliation will be an ‘event the likes of which nobody’s seen before’.

President Donald Trump warned North Korea again on Thursday not to strike Guam or US allies, saying his earlier threat to unleash “fire and fury” on Pyongyang if it launched an attack may not have been tough enough.

After North Korea disclosed plans to fire missiles over Japan to land near the US Pacific territory of Guam, Trump said the move would prompt “an event the likes of which nobody’s seen before”.

He took specific aim at North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying: “With me, he’s not getting away with it. It’s not a dare. It’s a statement.”

Trump added. “He’s not going to go around threatening Guam. And he’s not going to threaten the US. And he’s not going to threaten Japan. And he’s not going to threaten South Korea.”

North Korea’s army will complete the plans in mid-August to fire four intermediate-range missiles over Japan to land near Guam, when they will be ready for Kim’s order, state-run KCNA news agency said. The plans called for the missiles to land in the sea 3040km from Guam.

“Let’s see what he does with Guam. He does something in Guam, it will be an event the likes of which nobody’s seen before, what will happen in North Korea,” Trump said.

Shortly after Trump spoke, US Defence Secretary James Mattis told reporters in Mountain View, California, the US still preferred a diplomatic approach and a war would be catastrophic. Asked if the US was ready if North Korea took a hostile act, he said: “We are ready.” –