Woodward's New Book 'Rage' Reveals
Response Targeting Leadership Damage Amid North Korea Provocations
US Prepares War Plans for Preemptive Strike on North Korea
Kim Jong-un Tells Pompeo "Ready for War"
[Asia Economy New York=Special Correspondent Baek Jong-min] After North Korea launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)-class Hwasong-14 in 2017, it was revealed that the United States calculated the distance to the location of North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and conducted a retaliatory strike into the East Sea.
According to part of Bob Woodward's new book "Rage," the Watergate whistleblower, when North Korea launched the Hwasong-14 on July 4, 2017, then-Defense Secretary James Mattis approved the order for then-Commander of United States Forces Korea Vincent Brooks to launch U.S. tactical missiles.
The missile flew 186 miles (299.33 km) into the East Sea. Regarding this, Woodward wrote, "It was exactly the same distance as the tent where Kim Jong-un was watching the missile launch."
Woodward explained the missile launch as "Kim Jong-un needing to worry about his personal safety," but noted that there was no information confirming whether North Korea realized this.
The day after the Hwasong-14 test launch, the Joint Chiefs of Staff also announced that in response to North Korea's ballistic missile provocation, the South Korea-U.S. missile units conducted a joint ballistic missile firing on the east coast, demonstrating precise strike capabilities against the enemy leadership.
Woodward reported, "Mattis did not think President Trump would launch a preemptive strike on North Korea, but plans for such a war were prepared."
In this context, Woodward also revealed that the U.S. military carefully studied and reviewed Operation Plan 5027 for regime change in North Korea. OPLAN 5027 is a South Korea-U.S. combined operational plan for contingencies on the Korean Peninsula. Woodward explained that OPLAN 5027 included the possibility of using 80 nuclear weapons. He also stated that the U.S. side revised OPLAN 5015, which is aimed at striking North Korean leadership.
Woodward reported that when North Korea launched the medium-range ballistic missile Hwasong-12 on August 29, 2017, Defense Secretary Mattis began looking for more aggressive response measures and even considered whether it was necessary to actually bomb one of North Korea's ports to send a message.
Kim Tells Pompeo "Ready for War"
Woodward reported that North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un told U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who visited North Korea, that they were ready for war, and that President Donald Trump also heard such remarks from Kim.
According to part of "Rage," President Trump told Woodward on December 13 last year that Kim expected a war with the U.S. and "he was fully prepared."
When Woodward asked, "Did he say that?" President Trump replied, "Yes," and said, "He did." Trump repeatedly said, "He was fully ready to go to war."
Woodward described that Kim also told Secretary Pompeo, who visited North Korea for the first time during Easter weekend 2018 (March 31?April 1), that they were ready to go to war. Kim told Pompeo at the time, "We were very close." Pompeo later told an aide, "We had no idea whether it was real or just bluster," Woodward wrote.
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