There is little risk that a North Korean missile will hit the Philippines if the rogue state does well on its threat to fire a salvo toward Guam, according to Armed Forces of the Philippines spokesperson Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla.
Padilla also told there was a “remote” chance that debris from the missile’s disintegration could reach the country, particularly the northern coastal areas.
Padilla’s announcement comes after North Korea told on August 10 that it is “seriously examining a plan” to launch a missile strike at military bases in the U.S. territory of Guam, which is located around 2,500 kilometers east of the Manila.
An estimated 42,835 Filipinos, live in Guam, a Pacific island with a population of around 162,000, which is shelter to a U.S. military base.
Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesperson Robespierre Bolivar said that contingency plans had been prepared to guarantee the protection of overseas Filipino workers should North Korea launch a missile strike on Guam island.
North Korea warned to shoot four missiles into the sea off Guam after heated exchanges with the United States over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program.
Its state-run news agency reported that North Korea’s army “will complete its plan to hit Guam before mid-August.
