North Korea Walks Back Guam Threats

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dialed back threats to launch missiles at the U.S. territory of Guam, announcing early Tuesday that Pyongyang will hold off on taking any action for the time being. In remarks published by Pyongyang’s state media, however, Kim warned that he could still carry through with the plans at any moment “if the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions,” The Wall Street Journal reports. Though the North Korean leader gave no reason for his sudden change of heart in the latest episode of saber-rattling with Washington, his announcement followed an inspection of a military command post where senior officers reportedly presented him with plans for the potential strike on Guam. U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis had also warned late Monday that an attack on Guam would “escalate into war very quickly.”