In recent months, North Korea has made no secret about their capacity to bring annihilation to both U.S. and South Korea. Hearing this news, as a Californian especially, caused me to first react in fear. The U.S. has not come out with a solid plan on how we plan to defend ourselves in the case of a nuclear attack, neither do we seem to have the technology to detect the nuclear missile and disable it. And considering how chaotic the White House is currently, I doubt planning for this is their first concern. Because the areas that will be most impacted are highly populated, such as California, Alaska, and Hawaii, with over 41,314,853 people combined, it is imperative we plan smart and quickly. Despite these concerning numbers and threats, many people just want to know: Is North Korea serious in its claims to bring nuclear destruction to America and South Korea?
The answer: It’s complicated.
North Korea knows that if they did attack America, they would be blown out of the water, literally. The full wrath of NATO would deployed on them, and they would not stand a chance. U.S. intelligence officials claim that Kim Jong Un is threatening in order to deter any attack on his country and gain international legitimacy, rather than start what would eventually turn into a world war. But this information conflicts with the speed of North Korea’s nuclear missile program. They have ramped up production tenfold lately, and now the U.S. believes a reliable nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile will be ready by early 2018. If North Korea was really only displaying these missiles for show, why would they be working SO hard to ensure it can reach the level of mass destruction?
Whether North Korea is serious or not, the world should definitely be concerned. Kim Jong Un is the type of man who seems easily provoked, and one nudge from President Trump could lead to destruction on both sides and the start of World War 3. Americans and South Koreans should know what to do in case of a nuclear attack, and the governments in these respective countries should be providing this information while simultaneously preparing for the worst case scenario. The world should be ready too — to be able to try and deal with this rogue regime.
