SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un said Tuesday he would hold off on a planned missile strike near Guam, but warned the highly provocative move would go ahead in the event of further “reckless actions” by Washington. The North’s official KCNA news agency said Kim was briefed on the “plan for an enveloping fire at Guam” during an inspection on Monday of the Strategic Force command in charge of the nuclear-armed state’s missile units. Some analysts said Kim was seeking a similar quid-pro-quo this time around, using the Guam missile threat as leverage. John Delury of Yonsei University in Seoul said Kim was “de-escalating, putting Guam plan on ice” — at least for now. South Korean President Moon Jae-In weighed in Tuesday, saying Seoul would avoid a second Korean War at all costs.

Source: Manila Times August 15, 2017 03:11 UTC