North Korea’s military is “examining the operational plan” to strike areas around the US territory of Guam with
medium-to-long-range strategic ballistic missiles, state-run news agency KCNA said early Wednesday local time.
Specifically, the statement mentioned a potential strike on Andersen Air Force Base designed “to send a serious warning signal to the US.”
The base is one of two on the Pacific island, which are the closest bases on US soil to North Korea, and represent the westernmost tip of the country’s military might.
The North Korea comments were published after US President Donald Trump warned Pyongyang that if it continued
to threaten the US, it would “face fire and fury like the world has never seen.”Guam’s governor, Eddie Baza Calvo,
released a video address Wednesday, reassuring the island’s residents that there was no change in the threat level resulting from North Korea.
“I want to reassure the people of Guam that currently there is no threat to our island or the Marianas,” he said.
“I also want to remind national media that Guam is American soil and we have 200,000
Americans in Guam and the Marianas. We are not just a military installation,” he added.
Speaking from Guam, journalist Robert Santos said the local reaction to the threats was mixed.
“Some people are who are confident we are safe with the US bases here and others who are not so sure,” he said.
“Some people believe (Trump and Kim) are clashing personalities and they speak recklessly. But here are some
people who believe… that we are completely safe regardless of what happens.”
However, he added that an attack on Guam “won’t just be against the US military, it will be against the people.”