US, DPRK tone down the rhetoric

Tensions appear to have eased ahead of Winter Olympic Games

WASHINGTON - With the Winter Olympics in the Republic of Korea approaching, Washington and Pyongyang have tamped down harsh rhetoric toward each other, although US experts said the calm may be temporary.

The United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea have been engaged in a war of words in recent months, with US President Donald Trump warning that he could unleash fire and fury on the Asian nation, and DPRK leader Kim Jong-un threatening that his nation is capable of striking the US with nuclear weapons.