The United States has drawn up plans to conduct the annual military exercise with South Korea and North Korea has reacted by cautioning America of serious consequences. Pyongyang has made a categorical announcement that it has acquired the capability to target any part of the U.S. with its Nuclear Missiles and it will not necessarily be restricted to Guam or Hawaii.
North Korea remains unpredictable
CNN reports that the US military and Trump administration officials have ignored the threats and have confirmed that there is no change in the schedule for the 10-day military exercises. North Korea had planned to fire nuclear missiles targeting the US territory of Guam but, when China decided to remain neutral and indicated its willingness to impose sanctions on North Korea, its leader Kim Jong Un had second thoughts and said he would wait for the United States to make the first move.
Pyongyang has now threatened to take action if the U.S. and South Korea proceed with the joint military exercises.
Incidentally, these annual drills are a regular feature and Pyongyang interprets it as preparation for an invasion. Kim had initially selected Alaska as his first target, later changed it to Hawaii and finally to Guam. Obviously, there appears to be confusion on the target.
The stand of the U.S.
The situation on the Korean peninsula continues to remain tense and unpredictable and both US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Secretary of Defense James Mattis have said it has worked out military options to handle North Korea. A peaceful diplomatic approach is always the better option, but the result should ensure that the threat of North Korea and its nuclear missiles is neutralized.
South Korea is an ally of the United States and Donald Trump has assured President Moon Jae-in, the president of South Korea that any military action against the North would be taken after mutual consultation.
When Moon Jae-in took over, he wanted to mend relations with the North and had suggested a couple of measures, but in the past 100 days in office, he has realized that his efforts have not given the desired results. He has now confirmed that the policies of the US and his country tuned to the same frequency.
China is a major ally of North Korea and it has decided to impose the latest round of sanctions on Pyongyang because it wants to keep North Korea away from precipitating a situation that could mean the point of no return. Any military conflict in the region would have a direct effect on China also. Therefore, it has urged both the sides to refrain from taking provocative actions that could add to the tensions.