North Korea spits fire, says Guam strike plan ready within days

North Korea has announced that its detailed plans to fire four ballistic missiles near the US Pacific territory of Guam will be ready soon, for Kim Jong Un's consideration within a week, state media said on Thursday as a war of words with Washington intensifies.

According to state-run KCNA, the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missiles would be fired east and over Japan before landing in the sea about 30 to 40 kilometers (18 to 25 miles) off the coast of the tiny island if the plan is implemented. 

Map showing North Korea and Guam

The plan is the latest provocation in a back-and-forth with Washington, which came to boil on Tuesday when US President Donald Trump warned that "North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States," adding that "They will be met with fire, fury and frankly power the likes of which this world has never seen before."

But the pariah state denounced Trump’s warning of “fire and fury” and said the US leader was “bereft of reason”.

The US has warned Korea that its actions could mean the “end of its regime” with the US Defence Secretary Jim Mattis recently saying that Pyongyang would be “grossly overmatched” in any war against the US and its allies.

Meanwhile, Japan and South Korea have promised a strong response if Kim fires the missiles.

North Korean leader, Kim Jong Un

According to analysts, the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un does decide to launch the missiles, it would raise questions of whether the US would attempt to intercept them using the THAAD missile defense system it has stationed at Guam. 

If the US intercepted the missiles successfully, it would make the US look stronger, but if it failed, it would be a humiliating spectacle and a blow to the credibility of US power. 

The island which is more than 3,000 kilometers from North Korea houses 6,000 American troops and hosts bases that could be used in case of an unlikely war with North Korea.