Trump praises Kim Jong-un for backing down on Guam threat

United States President Donald Trump has hailed North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un's decision of scrapping his plan to attack Guam as a "very wise and well-reasoned decision".

"Kim Jong Un of North Korea made a very wise and well-reasoned decision. The alternative would have been both catastrophic and unacceptable!" Trump tweeted.

Trumps' reaction came as North Korea earlier threatened to attack Guam and other US territories in the Pacific region, saying a strike plan was ready "to put into practice in a multi-current and consecutive way any moment" on Kim's instruction.

However, Kim, later on, decided not to launch an attack but warned he could change his mind.

Guam is home to a US military base that includes a submarine squadron, an air base and a coast guard group and is armed with the US Army's missile defence system known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD, the same system recently installed in South Korea.

Trump had earlier reiterated his bellicose rhetoric on North Korea and warned Kim Jong Un that if any of the US territories is attacked, he "will truly regret it."

He also issued a warning to North Korea on Friday, saying that the US military is 'locked and loaded' to deal with any provocation from Pyongyang.

"Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely. Hopefully, Kim Jong Un will find another path!" Trump tweeted.

US Defense Secretary James Mattis had also warned North Korea to stop any action that would lead to the collapse of Kim Jong-un's regime.

"The DPRK (North Korea) should cease any consideration of actions that would lead to the end of its regime and the destruction of its people," Mattis said in a statement.

After issuing an ultimatum to North Korea for threatening the United States, President Donald Trump, earlier, in a series of tweets, said that the US nuclear arsenal is now "far stronger and more powerful than ever before."

President Trump also touted the strength of the country's nuclear arsenal and expressed hope that the US would not have to use this "power," but remained confident in the strength of the country.

Trump has also tried to leverage China, Pyongyang's only major ally, to get the country to change its behaviour.