We can't deny that tension has been building this year
between North Korea, the US, and other neighboring countries such as Japan and
South Korea. Whenever a reference is made to the crisis in North Korea, it
always deals with the country's looming threat of starting a nuclear war. The
conflict between these nations can be somewhat complicated to summarize, but if
you're still in need of some facts to help you understand this international
crisis, let us guide you.
In order to provide you with some more information, let's
break down some of the major things that lead up to this event and what is
being done to subdue the situation.
Why does North Korea Hate The US?
The US and North Korea have been in conflict since 1950-1953
which was when the Korean war took place. During this time, Korea was divided
along the 38th parallel where the North was claimed by the USSR and
the South by the US. In 1950 the North Korean army invaded the south and the US
president at the time, Harry Truman, along with the leaders of China and the
Soviet Union, decided to lead a United Nations coalition to defend South Korea
from the North.
The war carried on until 1953 when an armistice was
negotiated, but despite the war technically coming to an end, North Korea has
continued to use the war legacy to keep their citizens in a constant state of
panic and fear.
The North Korean government has been successful at
maintaining their power for more than 70 years or so and the Kim dynasty has
been able to maintain its control over their people with the use of anti US
propaganda. In fact, any time there has been tension between the US and North
Korea, the nation's leader fuels his propaganda machine to bring more focus on
to “the enemy.”
Present Day Conflict
Any individuals have doubted whether North Korea actually
possesses nuclear weapons. The current leader, Kim Jung Un, has recently lead
more nuclear tests than his father and grandfather before him. In fact, Kim
Jung Un has lead over 84 missile tests since 2011. Meanwhile, Kim Il Sung and
Kim Jong Il only lead 31 missile tests during both their reigning periods
combined.
In previous years, the US has not been too concerned about
the dangers of North Korea's bombs threats. Although a nuclear bomb is a serious threat,
in order for a bomb to cause any significant damage, it must be made small
enough to fit into a missile and additionally an intercontinental ballistic
missile would be be needed to effectively deliver the bomb to much farther
distances (like the US mainland.)
For the past few years, North Korea did not have the
resources to accomplish both of these requirements, but recent investigation
from US intelligence suspects that North Korea now has the capabilities to deliver
a bomb to the US mainland. Not only is this a very real scenario that could
play out, but it is actually quite easy for North Korea to launch a missile
onto South Korea, Japan, and the US territory of Guam.
Should we be Concerned?
Although the thought of a nuclear war is very alarming, we
have to take a close look at history and facts. North Korea is a totalitarian
monarchy and although the past two leaders have had lengthy terms, both Kim Il
Sung and Kim Jong Il have had to go through long processes to find loyal people
to work alongside them in office.
Kim Jung un, in comparison to his father and grandfather, is
inexperienced and barely settling into his transition into power. Many suspect
that he is trying to prove himself and simply instilling intimidation, in fact
it would not make much sense for Kim Jong un to throw his regime out the window
just for a war with the US. The North Korean government is very aware that the
US military is the strongest military force in the world and therefore, Kim
knows that he cannot just attack a US territory without receiving intense
retaliation as a result.
Furthermore, North Korea is currently one of the only few
totalitarian communist countries left in the world. They are also a “black
sheep”in the international community and they are an isolated nation with China
as their only current trade partner.
What about the International Community?
If war and disaster were to hit North Korea, there would
more than likely be a refugee crisis and China would be obligated to welcome
North Korean refugees into their country. Given the heavy burden this would
bring to China, it's currently in China's best interest to keep things stable
between their country and North Korea.
Nations Ready to Retaliate
Even though many world leaders are looking to find a solution
through dialogue and negotiations, nations like Australia and the US have more
assertive plans.
President Donald Trump has openly stated that he is ready to
fight back with “fire and fury” if provoked, but the United Kingdom's Foreign
Secretary, Boris Johnson, is currently working with the US and neighboring
allies to find more diplomatic solutions.
The UK's first secretary of state, Damian Green has also
urged President Donald Trump to be more sensible and go through the UN before
acting out on his “fire and fury” threat.
The Wild Cards
With President Donald Trump ready to attack at the drop of a
hat and Kim Jong Un carrying out several missile tests to intimidate the
international community, we clearly have two wild cards in this global scenario.
Both of these world leaders are inexperienced in comparison
to their predecessors, which adds a sense of unpredictability to the North
Korean crisis. With such a serious and dangerous situation playing out, it's
now become the responsibility of those working alongside these world leaders
to keep things as diplomatic as possible.