North Korea is now a full-fledged nuclear power and its recent sabre-rattling isn’t helping matters in the Pacific. The outburst by the North are in retaliation to the joint military exercises conducted by South Korea and the United States. These have been condemned by North Korea, despite claims by the two countries that they informed the Kim Jong-un ruled government that the exercises were peaceful.
The reality is, that the exercises are an obvious show of power. North Korea recently fired two short range missiles in a test, and as a full nuclear power, has enough in their arsenal to not just attack South Korea but the United States too. The proximity of the countries will surely worry the Obama administration, as North Korea can attack their West coast with nuclear missiles on a whim.
The Kim government claims that it will ‘liberate’ the South and there are historical reasons why this divide hits them hard. Korea was divided into North and South by communist and capitalist forces decades ago. South Korea overtook it after industrialization powered the economy whereas the North had to suffer economic sanctions.
Now it has a point to prove and a tiff to settle with the United States, as one of the forces that divided them in the first place. Do they have the gumption to launch a nuclear attack? Kim Jon-un very well can, and the United States knows it.
