North Korea Mulls Missile Launches Near Guam

North Korea has announced detailed plans for a show of force launch of missiles off the coast of the US territory of Guam, the plan is to fire four Hwasong-12 missiles that would travel over Japan, and land between 30 and 40 kilometers off the coast of Guam.

This is an important distinction, as a lot of reports are suggesting this is a direct threat to attack Guam militarily, while North Korean officials have suggested retaliation against a potential US attack might include US military bases in the area, including Guam itself.

Guam hosts two US military bases, with about 7,000 US troops present, which is huge for an island that’s not really all that close to anything. The island itself has a population of 162,000 people, and its economy depends heavily on tourism from Japan and South Korea.

With US officials, particularly President Trump, threatening attacks on North Korea. The missile launches, while not close enough to genuinely threaten the island, are likely to be closely watched because of the threat of them provoking a war.