Kim Jong-Un “Briefed On Guam Attack Plan”, Backs Off Threat Of Imminent Missile Launch

Tuesday, August 15, 2017
By Paul Martin

by Tyler Durden
ZeroHedge.com
Aug 14, 2017

While global stock markets breathed a sigh of dip-buying relief today that the world did not end, North Korea just ratcheted up the rhetoric one more time with state media reporting the North Korean leader is “being briefed on the Guam attack plan” today, adding that “if a second Korean War breaks out, it would inevitably be a nuclear war.”

According to the state run KCNA news agency, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “examined the plan for a long time” on Monday during his inspection to the command of the Strategic Force. North Korea said last week that it will finalize by mid-August its detailed plan to fire four intermediate-range ballistic missiles around Guam and report it to its leader for approval.

As KCNA notes, the North Korean leader received a report from his army on its plans to strike the area around Guam and said “he will watch the actions of the United States for a while longer before making a decision.”

According to the WSJ interpretation of this oddly-worded report, the “North Korean leader has decided not to launch a threatened missile attack on Guam” but warned that he could change his mind “if the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions.”

As a result, the report “could help dial back tensions that had spiraled last week following an exchange of threats between North Korea and U.S. President Donald Trump.”

North Korean state media said in its report Tuesday that Mr. Kim had made his decision not to fire on Guam after visiting a military command post and examining a military plan presented to him by his senior officers.

Then again, the alternative to that wording would have been for KCNA to say that Kim had decided to launch an attack on Guam, forcing him to do so, which would hardly have achieved any desired outcome.

In any case, trading desks quickly absorbed the WSJ’s interpretation of the KCNA announement as suggestive of conflict de-escalation, and have sent the USDJPY surging by 50 pips in a broad risk-on, stop hunt triggering move, which has also sent gold sliding.

The Rest…HERE

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