Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea have been escalating, but Defense Secretary Jim Mattis just made Kim Jong Un back off with three words.
After Kim threatened to fire a missile at the United States, Mattis said that act would mean something simple: “It’s game on.”
Should Kim actually attempt an attack on any U.S. territory, including Guam, Mattis said the United States military would respond — and that chilling warning caused North Korea’s leader to blink.
He added that the military would “take out” any North Korean missile it detects is heading for American soil. He continued saying Kim firing a missile “could escalate into war very quickly.”
After Mattis’ words, North Korea quickly backtracked and said it won’t test-fire ballistic missiles near Guam at this time.
A North Korean statement said Kim Jong Un would observe what it called ‘foolish and stupid conduct’ of the US before deciding whether to order the missiles fired.
When asked how he would respond should North Korea actually launch the missile, Mattis acknowledged that decision would be in the hangs of President Donald Trump.
Trump warned North Korea last week that the U.S. military “locked and loaded” and told Kim that he “will regret it fast” if he takes any action against U.S. territories or allies.
And clearly Kim Jong Un is scared.
Kim’s comments, however, with their conditional tone, seemed to hold out the possibility that friction could ease if the United States made some sort of gesture that Pyongyang considered a move to back away from previous “extremely dangerous reckless actions.”
That could refer to the U.S.-South Korean military drills set to begin Monday, which the North claims are rehearsals for invasion. It also could refer to the B-1B bombers that the U.S. has occasionally flown over the Korean Peninsula as a show of force.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, meanwhile, a liberal who favors engagement with the North, urged North Korea to stop provocations and to commit to talks over its nuclear weapons program.
Moon, in a televised speech Tuesday on the anniversary of the end of World War II and the Korean Peninsula’s liberation from Japanese colonial rule, said that Seoul and Washington agree that the crisis over the North’s nuclear program should “absolutely be solved peacefully,” and that no U.S. military action on the Korean Peninsula could be taken without Seoul’s consent.
Moon said the North could create conditions for talks by stopping nuclear and missile tests.
“Our government will put everything on the line to prevent another war on the Korean Peninsula,” Moon said. “Regardless of whatever twist and turns we could experience, the North Korean nuclear program should absolutely be solved peacefully, and the (South Korean) government and the U.S. government don’t have a different position on this.”
The chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Marine Corps Gen. Joseph Dunford, on Monday met with senior South Korean military and political officials and the local media, and made comments that appeared to be an attempt to ease anxiety while also showing a willingness to back Trump’s warnings if need be.
Dunford said the United States wants to peacefully resolve tensions with North Korea, but Washington is also ready to use the “full range” of its military capabilities in case of provocation.
The Associated Press contribute to this article.