Nuclear War Put on Hold for Now as North Korea to Wait and Watch

After days of hostility between the two countries, North Korea, on Tuesday took a step back and eased out the military tensions with the United State (US).

North Korea leader Kim Jong Un said he will wait for more, to watch the “the foolish and stupid conduct of the Yankees”. As for now, diffusing the war-rhetoric, he has halted his threatening plan to launch ballistic missiles towards Guam. He has also warned, that the US should think “reasonably” against its “recklessness”.

The cooling down of temper from both sides comes in the wake of China’s mediation. China intervened, by urging that both North Korea and the US avoid any escalation near Korean Peninsula, which will be in the strategic interest of all the countries.

"The Korean Peninsula is where the strategic interests of all sides converge, and no side should try to be the absolute dominator of the region,” a Global Times editorial read. Global Times is a Chinese state-owned newspaper and in this case, is seen as a reflection of the Chinese government’s policy.

Guam, a strategic prize for the US from the 1898 Spanish-American war, came under NorthKorea’s fright following American President Donald Trump’s threats to Kim to rain “fire and fury”. The small island strip in the Pacific is closer to the Korean peninsula than any other US territory.

As the verbal confrontation grew between Trump and Kim, the North Korean central news agency released pictures that showed Kim inspecting the KPA Strategic Rocket Force’s proposed plan, for launching ballistic missiles off the coast of Guam during on Monday. For the first time in the recent history, Guam inhabitants were gripped by panic,

The Chinese government also urged South Korea to act as “buffer” and act on its claims for de-escalation. It also asked the sovereign state to put a halt over its upcoming military exercise, that is to be held from August 21 to 31.

“The drill will definitely provoke Pyongyang more, and Pyongyang is expected to make a more radical response. If South Korea really wants no war on the Korean Peninsula, it should try to stop this military exercise. But the South Koreans can hardly get rid of US control, both in mind and deed,” a GT editorial on Monday stated.

Russia also played a key role in the mediation and suggested a political and diplomatic solution to the conflict, instead of war-mongering. But for now, even after de-escalation, the quarrel between the US and North Korea is far from over, especially in the wake of an upcoming military exercise.