Trump: Kim Jong Un made 'very wise' decision to back down

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China urges US, North Korea to 'hit the brakes' on threats

Beijing seen as key player in effort to rein in Kim Jong Un's regime; Greg Palkot reports from London

President Trump said Wednesday that North Korea’s Kim Jong Un made a “very wise” decision in backing down on his threats of a missile attack on Guam, in the U.S. president’s first formal comments on the apparent de-escalation.

“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 Wednesday morning.

He commented a day after North Korean media reported the dictator had delayed a decision about whether to fire missiles toward Guam.

President Donald Trump speaks to the media in the lobby of Trump Tower, Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017 in New York. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais) (AP)

According to Reuters, Pyongyang state media arm KCNA reported that Kim made the comments during his first public appearance in nearly two weeks. In doing so, the North Korean leader also warned “that if the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions on the Korean peninsula and in its vicinity, testing the self-restraint of the DPRK, the latter will make an important decision as it already declared.”

KIM JONG UN APPEARS TO BACK DOWN

But tensions eased after Trump had warned of “fire and fury” if North Korea continued to threaten the U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis also said any sign North Korea was attempting to fire a missile at the U.S. territory of Guam would amount to “game on.”

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un claps with military officers at the Command of the Strategic Force of the Korean People's Army (KPA) in an unknown location in North Korea in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 15, 2017. KCNA/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO THIRD PARTY SALES. SOUTH KOREA OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN SOUTH KOREA. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY - RTS1BTNU (REUTERS)

“It could escalate into war very quickly,” Mattis said. “…Yes, that’s called war, if they shoot at us.”

The latest uproar between Pyongyang and the rest of the world began following a stunning acceleration in North Korea’s nuke program. North Korea twice successfully tested an intercontinental ballistic missile in July, and dual reports last week – out of Japan and the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency – suggested North Korea had acquired the technology to miniaturize a nuclear weapon to fit on a missile.