DPRK leader briefed on Guam missile strike plans

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Kim Jong Un, the top leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Monday praised his army's plans to fire missiles toward the US territory of Guam in the Pacific, but said he would hold off the launch, reported DPRK's official media on Tuesday.

According to the Korean Central News Agency, Kim inspected the Command of the Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army (KPA) Monday and examined the force's preparations for "enveloping fire at Guam" for a long time.

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un visits the Command of the Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in an unknown location in the DPRK on August 15, 2017. / KCNA Photo

Kim was seen holding a baton and pointing at a map reading "Strategic Force's Firing Strike Plan", which showed a flight path for the missiles appearing to start from DPRK's east coast, then flying over Japan and ending near Guam.

The launch location appeared to be in the vicinity of Sinpo, the eastern coastal city that hosts DPRK's submarine base, said Kim Dong-yub, a military expert at Kyungnam University's Institute of Far Eastern Studies in Seoul.

Kim said the location near Sinpo fits with what DRPK outlined last week – that four intermediate-range missiles will cross the sky above Shimane, Hiroshima and Koichi Prefectures of Japan, fly 3,356.7 km (2,085.8 miles) for 1,065 seconds and hit the waters 30 to 40 km (18 to 25 miles) from Guam.

The DPRK's top leader also said the US must stop provocations and making unilateral demands against DPRK immediately to defuse the tension.

DPRK leader Kim Jong Un visits the Command of the Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in an unknown location in the DPRK on August 15, 2017. / KCNA Photo

"He said that if the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions on the Korean Peninsula and in its vicinity, testing the self-restraint of the DPRK, the latter will make an important decision as it already declared," the report said.

Kim was referring to the announcement on August 10 by the DPRK to warn the US of a preemptive strike over Japan and into waters off Guam through four intermediate range ballistic missiles in response to the US President Donald Trump's threaten on August 8 to hit the DPRK with "fire and fury."

The Republic of Korea (ROK) and the US officials have since sought to play down the risks of an imminent conflict, helping soothe global concerns somewhat on Monday.

Moon Jae-in, ROK's leader, waded in on Monday, calling for calm in the standoff with the DPRK, saying there should never be another war on the Korean Peninsula.

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis also warned on Monday that an attack against the US could quickly escalate into war, as he and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson moved to dial down tensions.

The visit to the Strategic Force of the KPA marks Kim's first public appearance in about two weeks.

The DRPK's leader ordered the army should always be ready to fire should he make a decision for action, the report said.

Source(s): AFP ,Reuters ,Xinhua News Agency