In a statement carried by the state-run news agency KCNA and quoted by The Associated Press, the North Korean military said a plan for the “historic enveloping fire at Guam” will be completed by mid-August, be conveyed to the commander in chief of its nuclear force and then the military would “wait for his order.”
North Korea stressed it will “keep closely watching the speech and behavior of the U.S.”
Pyongyang had threatened to attack Guam on Tuesday night, hours after President Donald Trump said he would respond with "fire and fury" if North Korea does not cease its threats against the U.S.
On Wednesday, the North Korean military dismissed Trump’s warning of “fire and fury” as a “load of nonsense.”
It added that “only absolute force” can work on someone as “bereft of reason” as Trump.
Trump’s remarks followed reports that North Korea has produced a nuclear warhead small enough to fit onto an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), which could strike parts of the U.S.
Late last week, the UN Security Council voted to place new sanctions on North Korea in response to its recent missile tests.
The U.S.-drafted resolution imposes a ban on exports aimed at depriving Pyongyang of $1 billion in annual revenue. It also imposes a full ban on exports of coal, iron and iron ore, lead and lead ore as well as fish and seafood by North Korea.
North Korea vowed in response to bolster its nuclear arsenal and gain revenge of a "thousand-fold" against the United States.
