N. Korea leader briefed on missiles
Kim praises his military for drawing ‘close, careful plan’
SEOUL, South Korea — North Korea said Tuesday that leader Kim Jong Un was briefed on his military’s plans to launch missiles into waters near Guam as part of an effort to create “enveloping fire” near the U.S. military hub in the Pacific.
The comments, while typically belligerent, are significant because they appeared to signal a path to defuse a deepening crisis with Washington over a weapons program that is seen as having the ability to be able to send a nuclear missile to the U.S. mainland.
During an inspection of the army’s Strategic Forces, Kim praised the military for drawing up a “close and careful plan” and said he would watch the “foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees” a little more before deciding whether to give an order for the missile test, the North’s official Korean Central News Agency said.
Kim said North Korea will conduct the planned missile launches if the “Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions on the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity” and that the United States should “think reasonably and judge properly” to avoid shame, the news agency said.
Kim’s comments, with their conditional tone, seemed to hold out the possibility that friction could ease if the United States made some sort of gesture that Pyongyang considered a move to back away from previous “extremely dangerous reckless actions.”
The United States and South Korea plan next week, however, to start annual defensive military drills that the North claims are preparation for invasion.
On Monday, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford held a series of meetings with senior South Korean military and political officials and the local media. He also made comments that appeared to be an attempt to ease anxiety over tit-for-tat threats between President Donald Trump and North Korea while also showing a willingness to back up Trump’s warnings if need be.
Dunford, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said the United States wants to resolve tensions with North Korea peacefully. But Washington is also ready to use the “full range” of its military capabilities in case of provocation, Dunford said.