Trump is playing into Kim's hand with the Guam strike...

[Locut0s]

Kim is definitely ratcheting up the sabre rattling but that's basically all they know how to do as a country. They are a crazed dictatorship backed into a corner. A corned animal is dangerous. Trump is of course dangerous too. But in treating the Guam threat as the act of war that Kim probably wants it to seem Trump will be playing into his hand.

The thing I find interesting is that aside from announcing the launches beforehand and the change of focus on the US there isn't a HUGE difference between this missile threat and previous ones by NK. In the past they have launched missiles towards Japan that landed in the ocean. These ones, if they launch them might land uncomfortably close to Guam but they have actually announced that they are planning to land them in the ocean. If they strike land then yes that is definitely an outright act of war. BUT landing them in the ocean is typical NK sabre rattling. Push the envelope as close to the fucking edge as you can and see if your opponent blinks.

[lpbk2713]

1. If things get tense Kim Jong-un won't be in Pyongyang.

So there won't be much point in Trump lobbing nukes. He'll be miles away maybe in a labor camp, thinking he will be safe from attack there. Kim Jong-un may be crazy but he's not stupid.

[Not Ruth]

2. The difference is that NK missile technology has improved at a rate that US intelligence

failed to predict. Exponential improvement in ICBM technology which is possessed by fewer nations than possess nukes. And that NK is now able to nuke half of the US. That is a fairly big difference from 6 months ago when they could barely hit the Sea of Japan.