Kim has asked his military advisors to choose other targets for ballistic tests in the Pacific specifying that yesterday's launch represents "the first step in the military operations of the Korean People's Army in the Pacific and a significant prelude to the containment of Guam", in response also to the joint military maneuvers in progress between Seoul and Washington. In the KCNA report, the Korean leader said: "We need to push our work forward in a way that puts our strategic forces on a modern footing by doing more ballistic tests with the Pacific as a target for the future."
Guam, which is located just over 3.000 kilometers from Pyongyang, is one of the most important strategic locations between the American naval and air bases, ready to support US actions on the Korean peninsula in case of emergencies. Last week, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson welcomed the North's intention to put aside the provocations after the stalemate of the threat of launching four missiles towards Guam, hoping for the hope of a possible dialogue.
After a month of calm, however, North Korea launched three short-range missiles just in the weekend, followed yesterday by the Hwasong-12 missile that somehow embodies and makes the attack plans widely announced by Kim Jong-un .
US President Donald Trump has issued a strong warning to the Korean leader saying: "all options are on the table", including the military ones. Last week, Pyongyang released photos of a possible development of submarine and solid-fuel missile launches known as Pukguksong-3 and an HWasong-13 intercontinental missile during a Kim field inspection.