Washington, Aug 16 (EFE).- President Donald Trump said Wednesday that his North Korean counterpart, Kim Jong-un, “made a very wise decision” by suspending plans to fire a missile at the US territory of Guam because the alternative “would have been catastrophic.”
“Kim Jong Un (sic) of North Korea made a very wise and well reasoned decision,” Trump said in a Twitter post. “The alternative would have been both catastrophic and unacceptable!”
Although Trump did not mention Guam, his message was posted a day after a statement attributed to Kim indicated that the North Korean leader had decided to suspend a plan to attack the Western Pacific island to “watch a little more of the foolish and stupid conduct” of Washington.
The North Korean president has not completely shelved the option of firing missiles toward Guam and said Tuesday that he would make “an important decision” should Washington persist in its “arrogant provocations against the DPRK and unilateral demands.”
Kim was apparently referring to the joint US-South Korean Ulchi Freedom Guardian military exercises set to begin next Monday, and which Pyongyang sees as a provocation.
On Tuesday, the Pentagon said the annual exercises will proceed as planned, and Defense Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said “there is no possible equivalency” between nuclear and missile tests by North Korea and the “legal activities” of the US and South Korean military.
Trump’s tweets on Wednesday were in stark contrast with his belligerent tone last week following Pyongyang’s threat to launch an attack in response to additional sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council.
The US president promised “fire and fury” should North Korea attack a US territory or any of Washington’s allies.