People in Guam and Pyongyang appeared calm at the weekend after days of warlike rhetoric from President Trump and North Korea.
ADVERTISEMENTHundreds of people gathered on Sunday to pray for peace in Guam’s capital, after several days of dramatic rhetoric between the US president and North Korea.
The population of the American territory in the Pacific is mostly Catholic.
Residents say there hasn’t been any widespread anxiety, even after Pyongyang vowed to attack waters near the island by mid-August.
“With everybody praying and joining together, and our Lady listening to us here, it will definitely bring peace because she is the mother of peace,” said Guam resident Trida Tenorio.
The island with its US military base is in the front line of the war of words. Donald Trump threatened swift and forceful retaliation against North Korea, declaring the military “locked and loaded.”
Life on the streets of Pyongyang has remained calm too, with little sign of emergency measures seen during previous crises.
North Koreans have long lived with the state media message that war is imminent.
“I’m not afraid at all. We don’t want war, but we are not afraid of it. If the US ignores our warnings and does anything rashly, that will be a good chance for us to wipe out the source of evil, the source of war, and reunify our country,” said Pyongyang resident Choe Kyong Song, echoing the official line.
Life in Pyongyang is very different from that in the countryside, where the majority don’t have access to the capital.
The weekend has seen a pause in the warlike rhetoric between the leaders, amid international calls for restraint on all sides.