Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
NORTH KOREA HAS announced a detailed plan to launch a volley of ballistic missiles toward the US Pacific territory of Guam and dismissed President Donald Trump’s threats of “fire and fury” if it doesn’t back down.
The announcement, made in the name of a general who heads North Korea’s rocket command, warned the country is preparing a plan to fire four of its Hwasong-12 missiles over Japan and into waters around the tiny island, which hosts 7,000 US military personnel on two main bases and has a population of 160,000.
It 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 Kim whether the move is actually carried out. It said the missiles would hit waters 30 to 40 kilometres away from the island.
It is unclear whether North Korea would risk firing missiles so close to US territory, which could provoke countermeasures and further escalation.
General Kim Rak Gyom, commander of the North’s strategic rocket forces, made the insults via state media in response to Trump’s “fire and fury” threats against North Korea.
Trump made the remarks during a meeting at his New Jersey golf resort.
Kim said Trump is “extremely getting on the nerves” of his soldiers by making comments that showed his “senility” again.
Kim says “sound dialogue is not possible with such a guy bereft of reason who is going senile.”
US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sought to calm the sense of crisis.
Speaking on his way home from Asia, he insisted the US isn’t signaling a move toward military action.
“Americans should sleep well at night,” Tillerson told reporters. “Nothing that I have seen and nothing that I know of would indicate that the situation has dramatically changed in the last 24 hours.”
But then Defence Secretary Jim Mattis ratcheted the rhetoric back up, calling on Pyongyang to “cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people.” As seldom as it is for a president to speak of using nuclear missiles, the reference to the “destruction” of a foreign people is equally rare.
North Korea immediately called Trump’s rhetoric a “load of nonsense” that was aggravating a grave situation.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
At this point it seems that war is inevitable. Trump is caught between a rock and a hard place. Kim Jong Un has been waving a red flag towards the US for months now, and not even 1 billion in sanctions over the last week has stopped him from doing so. I wouldn’t be surprised to wake up tomorrow and find that the US has bombed North Korea.
@Kimberley Brennan: I would be very surprised, this is a small dick-swinging contest, nothing more – NK’s primary goal is international legitimacy and these ‘threats’ have generated the knee-jerk reaction from Trump they desperately wanted, making other nations sit up and pay more attention. NK Will never bomb Guam, why the hell would they? For to do so would initiate a massive US reaction to close to destroying NK, but US know such action will almost certainly initiate a counter from NK to Japan and SK, possibly (but unlikely according to expert analysts) nuclear. China’s the key broker here, and Trump’s irritation might get China get up off its honkers and put pressure on Pyongyang.
@Kimberley Brennan:
This is all just sabre rattling, nothing more. If you’re genuinely planning on launching an attack on another country you don’t publish detailed plans of what you’re going to do in advance.
@Avina Laaf:
Yep. Kim Jong Un has nothing to gain by attacking Americans. In fact, it would be suicidal. He knows this, as crazy as he might seem. All this rhetoric is for the benefit of his own people. He has them under a constant barrage of propaganda and fear. They have a very poor quality of life so to maintain his position he has to convince them that they need a strong leader like himself to defend against the evil Americans. The development of nuclear weapons is an insurance policy against getting invaded by South Korea or America.
The US is highly unlikely to attack North Korea first.They would lose the moral high ground and favour with many countries in the region. They would also be guaranteeing some kind of nuclear attack on themselves or South Korea.
There’s a lot of warmongering rhetoric out there at the moment but each country would be substantially worse off if they are the first to open fire.
@Tweety McTweeter:
At least it gives the media dahlings the opportunity to use one of their favourite phrases – “bellicose rhetoric”
@Kimberley Brennan: again
@Kimberley Brennan: Again
@Kimberley Brennan:
I am glad you are not leading the he negotiations if you think war is inevitable and would not be surprised if the US bomber NK tonight.
@Kimberley Brennan: Maybe Kim wants Trump to open a golf resort in NK and give Kim life membership with a new set of golf clubs.
This has to be the first time in war related history that an aggressor has told everyone about a plan for their plan to attack. And that it’s going up the management chain for approval.
@Joseph Bloggs: and that the missilies will be aimed 30 to 40 miles from the area where the enemy has its base, that is into international waters.
North Korea is acting in a juvenile way and the US is doings its best to play the silly game.
The message is that anyone can yank the US President’s chain.
@Joseph Bloggs: Its equivalent to Trump saying he is going to build a wall along the border with Mexico. Why not build a wall in Korea instead.
Do you not think this is very convenient timing? Trump is under pressure domestically and then suddenly the threat of an international crisis shifts the focus away from internal matters.Both leaders get to play the jingoism card and boost their approval ratings(not that Kim Yung needs it but I’m sure the perceived US threat is a bonus to his regime). Eventually everything will simmer down and both sides will claim a moral victory.That’s how politics work.
@Erich Butler: The American economy has turned around though..
@Lad: No it hasn’t… the American economy is doing exactly what it was doing when Obama left office…
@Lucy: Oh Obama gets the credit for the economy but nothing or blame for not doing anything about NK for the last 8 years ??/
#covfefe
@P-O-B this is bigly covfefe
@Noel James Doherty: When the anti US fake news starts rolling in let’s not forget it was Kim that started this.
@Tom Newnewman: awwww
@Tom Newnewman: Not quite true! The US has a history in Korea and has bombed it extensively. The US position is that, in an ideal worl, it and its allies alone should have nuclear capabilit. It remains the only country on record to have used an atomic bomb on civilians.
@Tomasz Irlandczik Krótki: we’re not talking about history..we’re talking about here and now..Of course Trump said what he said yesterday because he had to….Guam is a U.S territory after all and he has a responsibility to react to provocation from N.K..it doesn’t mean anything will definitely happen…
@P-O-B: #toffifee. Mmm.
Tomasz: Yep. The US dropped more ordnance and destruction on NK than Japan got in WW2, including nukes. The new weapon they used as the time was designed to roast people and burn wooden buildings. Napalm. It’s worth a read up on.
For your information, this doesn’t make news in South Korea as there is no threat, just 2 pri*ks talking nonsense
@John O Connor: maybe because if it did mass panic would erupt.
A south Korean poll showed that Koreans are more afraid of ISIS than Mr. Kim
@John O Connor: That’s gas! I think Trump is the most afraid here.
@John O Connor: You are saying that something getting international coverage is being ignored by South Korea? I find that impossible to believe.
Exactly what I’m saying. Obama gave THAAD to South Korea for free as a demo. Now Trump wants Korea to pay $1B for it or he will remove it…This makes the news in Korea, and not internationally
@Brendan Cooney: Brendan they do have uncensored internet access in SK. Therefore they are fully aware of what Kim is crapping on about. They are also next door neighbors.
They are just bored of his nonsense, that’s why they don’t pay much attention.
@John O Connor: why don’t they just give the THAAD back to the US then if there’s no threat?
This stuff has been going on for decades http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/northkorea/7878422/Richard-Nixon-planned-nuclear-strike-on-North-Korea.html
@DeFonz: Difference is NK now possible have nuclear weapons that they can fire on US territory. Time moves on and threats change
@Kal Ipers: the threat is to fire wide of the US territory and it is a conditional threat of preparation of plans to be sent for endorsement. It’s empty rhetoric and posturing.
For once I agree with Trump. His unpredictability in this case is an asset and forces China to put more pressure on NK. Kim Jung Spanner is full of bluster, he will not survive a war Trump will. For Kim the choice is go to war and die or just make flowery threats and continue running NK his own private game park.
It says a lot when you actually find yourself not being able to disagree with North Korea regarding their comments about the president of the U.S.
*googles guam*
Two unstable leaders desperate to retain domestic support issuing fake threats and posturing belligerence.
If it wasn’t bad enough to have Pat Kenny,
Chris O Donahue, Sean o Rourke,and numerous other Muppets in Irish Media on the President of the United States of America (because that’s what he is) back
Now you have Kim John un teaming up with them in the name calling game
Er…. what happens if their missile hits land/city in Japan because of bad tech etc???
@Neville Patterson: The missile hits land/city in Japan because of bad tech etc
@Neville Patterson: See Nagasaki, August 9, 1945. Spooky, ay?
Did North Korea say it was firing these missiles at Guam or at the area around Guam? Are these missiles armed or unarmed? Are the North Koreans doing this because they fear the US are going to attack them or because they’re mad or both? Are the US provoking them in some way that we’re not being told about? Such as flying over they’re military installations and laser targeting them? HAS THE US EVER ATTACKED A COUNTRY BEFORE BECAUSE IT SAID IT WAS ABOUT TO ATTACK THE US WITH WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION AND BEEN EITHER LYING OR MISTAKEN? Has the US interfered before in a small country neighboring a powerful one? How did it turn out the last time the US intervened? I just thought somebody should ask these questions.
ISIS on the verge of being wiped out, So the US sets up it’s new bogyman. This week we will mainly be protecting you from………….
If NK attacks the USA then all the printers will be busy next month printing new world’s atlas. There won’t be such country as NK anymore. Hopefully that communist fatso realised that and only talks krap.
Typical, some idiots suggesting that The Don is looking for a ratings boost through a threat of nuclear war.
Explainer:
This isn’t the Falklands War, this is mass annihilation on a global scale. There is no ratings boost from such pronouncements, quite the opposite in fact.
ps
If you’re a Democrat this is all Trump’s fault – in the real and rational world sane people understand Kim Jong-un is the provocateur.
They’d be right you know.
If it takes them a week to plan the launch of four missiles then they have pretty much just announced that they are F***ed.
If they launch 4 my bet is 2 never leave the silo, one drops into the sea in the middle of nowhere and the 4th gets intercepted
North Korea will have their homework ready in a few weeks and will send it on to the US for approval, if it looks good and gets a gold star the US will attack! I must say an unusual way to wage a war.
I am still trying to imagine the conversation Trump is having with the South Korean leader Moon Jae-in, “Don’t worry about a thing because every little thing is goona be alright…..”
Play that song again.
Frankie goes to Hollywood
When two tribes go to war.
They’re as bad as eachother..two trigger happy lunatics with bad haircuts who don’t know when to shut up.
@Sorcha Ní Shúilleabháin:
The international Barber Institute need to step in and sort out this mess once and for all.
I wonder if Kim is making the threats or is someone else making them on his behalf, like the western “defence” contractors. Their order books are swelling with every new threat.
It’s all just a case of two schoolboys with funny haircuts having a who can reach the highest pissing competition.
have your say