DPRK military says plan to strike Guam to be ready by mid-August

PYONGYANG - The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) military has said that its plan to strike Guam with intermediate missiles will be ready by mid-August and its implementation will depend on a decision by DPRK top leader Kim Jong-un, the Korean Central News Agency said Thursday.

General Kim Rak Gyom, commander of the Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army (KPA), was quoted as saying in a statement that the Strategic Force is considering "the plan for opening to the public the historic enveloping fire at Guam, a practical action targeting the US bases of aggression."

"The Hwasong-12 rockets to be launched by the KPA will cross the sky above Shimane, Hiroshima and Kochi Prefectures of Japan. They will fly 3,356.7 km for 1,065 seconds and hit the waters 30 to 40 km away from Guam," he said.

The DPRK military said Wednesday it is "seriously examining the plan for an enveloping strike at Guam through simultaneous fire of four Hwasong-12 intermediate-range strategic ballistic rockets in order to interdict the enemy forces on major military bases on Guam and to signal a crucial warning to the US."

The order was given by Kim Jong-un himself who said it is necessary to hit the US military "hardware" which are repeatedly threatening the DPRK with B-1B strategic bombers and aircraft carriers, according to the KPA statement.

"KPA Strategic Force has through a statement of its spokesman fully warned the US against its all-round sanctions on the DPRK and moves of maximizing military threats to it. But the US president at a golf links again let out a load of nonsense about 'fire and fury,' failing to grasp the on-going grave situation. This is extremely getting on the nerves of the infuriated Hwasong artillerymen of the KPA," said the strategic force commander.

He said the KPA is "keeping close watch on the speech and behavior of the US officials."