Guam’s governor denied the allegation on Wednesday that the island’s residents are in a state of panic amid new threats from North Korea’s army, though he suggested there is an atmosphere of “concern and worry,” The Hill reports.
“Obviously for our administration and for the people of Guam, there is concern and worry,” Governor Eddie Baza Calvo, a Republican, said on Fox News. “But there’s no panic.”
“Because the western Pacific has American soil in it, then a couple hundred thousand Americans could get caught in the crosshairs,” he added, referring to the possibility of a conflict in the region. “So I think it’s important to be very strong. At the same time, be calm.”
Tensions between Washington and Pyongyang rose to their highest point since President Donald Trump took office on Tuesday and Wednesday. Trump said he would unleash “fire and fury” on North Korea if the country continued to threaten the U.S.
Trump’s inflammatory rhetoric came in response to news reports that North Korea had successfully produced a nuclear warhead small enough to fit inside one of its missiles – a major milestone in the country’s effort to become a nuclear power.
North Korea’s military responded to Trump’s threat, saying it was considering a strike on Guam, a U.S. territory and home to key military installations in the region.
However, North Korea continued to escalate its confrontation with the U.S. on Wednesday when it announced that its military would have a plan in place by mid-August to launch an attack on waters near Guam. Calvo urged the island’s residents earlier on Wednesday not to worry. In an address posted on YouTube, the Guam governor said the threat level to the island posed by North Korea had not changed.
“I’m working with Homeland Security, the rear admiral and the United States to ensure our safety, and I want to reassure the people of Guam that currently there is no threat to our island or the Marianas,” he said.
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