Jonathan Cheng WSJ
SEOUL—North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has decided not to launch a threatened missile attack on Guam, Pyongyang’s state media reported on Tuesday, but warned that he could change his mind “if the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions.”
The report, published early Tuesday, could help dial back tensions that had spiraled last week following an exchange of threats between North Korea and U.S. President Donald Trump.
Mr. Trump warned Pyongyang last week that the U.S. military was “locked and loaded” and could engulf the North in “fire and fury,” while North Korea, through its state media, had threatened to fire four missiles in a bid to surround the U.S. territory of Guam in “enveloping fire.”
North Korean state media said in its report Tuesday that Mr. Kim had made his decision not to fire on Guam after visiting a military command post and examining a military plan presented to him by his senior officers.
Mr. Kim added that the planned launch could still be carried out at any moment, and said that such a strike would be a “most delightful historic moment” that would “wring the windpipes of the Yankees and point daggers at their necks.”
In Guam, authorities welcomed the apparent lifting of the missile threat from North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.
“We are happy that the rhetoric has calmed down, that he won’t be pursuing his threats to fire missiles at Guam,” said Lt. Gov. Ray Tenorio. “The comments allay some of the concerns and the fears.”
The U.S. military on Guam would maintain a high level of readiness to respond to any threat, said Greg Kuntz, deputy public affairs officer for Joint Region Marianas.
Guam is home to two major U.S. military bases. The island is situated roughly 3,800 miles west of Hawaii and 2,100 miles south-southeast of Pyongyang.
President Trump tweeted last Sunday that he spoke with South Korean President Moon Jae-In amid mounting tensions with North Korea -- and Trump was “very happy and impressed” with the United Nations Security Council's 15-0 vote to hit Kim Jong Un's regime with tough new sanctions.
The sanctions against the communist nation include a ban on coal and other exports worth over $1 billion -- a huge bite in its total exports, valued at $3 billion last year.
U.S. Ambassador Nikki Haley called the resolution “the single largest economic sanctions package ever leveled against the North Korean regime” and "the most stringent set of sanctions on any country in a generation.”
Editor Note
Why did kim jong-un back down on nuking the US?
Because President Trump got the useless united nations to vote for sanctions against north korea that included russia and china.
President Trump also did NOT back down to the nut job kim jong-un.
He spoke to him in language un could understand and told he he would be dead meat if he continued to threaten the US.
Next President Trump kicked china in the butt by letting china know he was going to really do something about the trade imbalance with them.
And guess what, tuesday morning all the news changed because china had told north korea it was not going to buy its oil or coal any more.
Kim jong-un got the message and started talking different.
Full credit goes to President Trump and his administration. The butt kicking lesson worked!
A review:
(1) Trump kicks china in the butt to do something about north korea.
(2) China kicks north korea in the butt by telling them to back off on the nukes and also telling them they were not going to buy oil and coal from north korea any more.
(3) Kim jon-un gets the message after a china butt kick and starts talking different about nukes and the US.
