Donald Trump and his defense secretary have sent mixed messages on North Korea, with Trump saying "talking is not the answer." The confusion raises questions over whether the US has a plan to deal with the crisis.
Image: Reuters/J. Ernst
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US President Donald Trump said he was against talking with North Korea about its ballistic and nuclear missile programs.
Taking to social media on Wednesday to deliver the message, Trump wrote on Twitter: "The US has been talking to North Korea, and paying them extortion money, for 25 years. Talking is not the answer!"
But as has become typical during the short Trump presidency, he was later contradicted by US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis.
"We are never out of diplomatic solutions," Mattis told reporters before a meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Song Young-moo at the Pentagon.
The UN Security Council has condemned the latest missile launch as "outrageous," but did not threaten new sanctions on Pyongyang.
In a hint at the military option, Trump said Tuesday that "all options are on the table" in dealing with North Korea.
But his comments fell short of harsher threats earlier this month to unleash "fire and fury" after Pyongyang tested an intercontinental ballistic missile capable of carrying a nuclear warhead that could hit the United States.
The conflict between North Korea and the United States has made a small Pacific island the focus of a lot of attention. But Guam is more than just a US military base.
Image: picture-alliance/robertharding/M. Runkel
Pure idyll
No trace of military bases here. While a third of Guam is used by the United States for military purposes, the rest has plenty to offer: turquoise waters, coral reefs, hiking trails for nature lovers. It's no wonder that, after the military, tourism is the island's biggest source of income.
Image: picture-alliance/robertharding/M. Runkel
Swimming 365 days a year
The island advertises itself online by pointing out that it's swimming weather all year round on Guam. The temperatures are tropical, usually between 26 and 30 degrees. There are only two seasons: dry and wet. From June to November is the rainy season, and the rest of the year is dry.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/T. Vejpongsa
Tourism is a growing market
The beaches aren't crowded, although more than a million holidaymakers visit Guam every year. The sea here is especially popular with divers because of the coral reefs. Tourism is becoming increasingly important: The industry has been developing since the 1980s, mainly thanks to investment from South Korea and Japan. Both countries are just a few hours away by plane.
Image: Reuters/E. De Castro
Local recreation
Because of its airport, the island is easily accessible for holidaymakers from East Asia. They can get to Guam in just a few hours - it's much closer than the more popular Hawaii. Japanese visitors are especially keen; three-quarters of the tourists traveling to Guam come from Japan. The rest of the holidaymakers are usually from South Korea, China or Taiwan.
Image: picture-alliance/robertharding/M. Runkel
Tax-free shopping
Holiday is more than just lazing about on the beach. Guam is also a shopper's paradise: There's no VAT here. Visitors can also find out more about the history of the island in the Guam Museum [photo]. 130 locations on Guam are registered in the United States' National Register of Historic Places. That's quite a lot for an island only about the size of the US capital, Washington DC.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/T. Vejpongsa
Long history
The island has been inhabited for around 4,000 years. World War Two was a particularly sad chapter in its history. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 Japanese troops also occupied Guam. There are a number of memorials relating to this period, like this torpedo in the Asan Memorial Park.
Image: Reuters/E. de Castro
Indigenous culture
Most of the inhabitants of Guam belong to the Chamorro ethnic group. They are the descendants of the group that first settled Guam some 4,000 years ago. Statues, like this one of a Chamorro chief, commemorate their ancestors. The island advertises itself using its traditional Chamorro culture as a draw. Today, Guamanians are American citizens by birth.
Image: picture-alliance/robertharding/M. Runkel
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Sanctions
The UN Security Council responded to July's missile test by introducing sanctions on major exports that are expected to cut North Korea's foreign cash earnings by a third.
Seven rounds of UN sanctions over North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs since 2006 have failed to change the regime's behavior.
Japan is pressing the United States to push for even stronger UN sanctions following this week's launch.
Both China and Russia, which have veto power at the UN Security Council, have said new sanctions may be counterproductive.
They have argued that US military maneuvers in the region are partly to blame for North Korea's actions, and urged both sides to negotiate.
Past rounds of international sanctions on North Korea have taken between one and three months to negotiate.
Trump's reference to "extortion" payments to North Korea appeared to refer to $1.3 billion (1.09 billion euros) in food and fuel the US provided to Pyongyang between 1995 and 2009.
The aid was part of a deal of North Korea's nuclear program that was violated.
The US and North Korea haven't had direct negotiations on Pyongyang's nuclear program since 2012.
