Since coming to power in late 2011, North Korean President Kim Jong Un has escalated threats between North Kora and other countries, especially the United States. More specifically, President Kim has escalated the war of words with other countries or leaders, such as President Trump. More to this is that he has exponentially increased the testing of nuclear weapons and the ballistic missiles needed to deliver them against their enemies, such as the United States and its allies (Klinger, 2018). The fact that North Korea can develop a missile capable of hitting parts of the United States is a great concern to the United States (Jervis & Rapp-Hooper, 2018). This is because the country has frequently threatened to use its nuclear weapons against the United States. More to this is that the regime announced that some of its missile launches were practicing nuclear airbursts against U.S. bases in Japan and South Korea.
Arguably, North Korea is a threat to the United States. The nation has invested considerably in the development of its nuclear weapons. It has also invested in the development of its ballistic missiles. As a result, North Korea has improved the capabilities of its nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. Due to threats posed by North Korea, the United States President Trump has engaged and opened dialogues with the leader of North Korea in an attempt to stop him from developing nuclear weapons. However, President Kim has been at the forefront in defying the requests by President Trump. As a result, tensions and threat levels have increased between these two nations, given that North Korea's nuclear weapons are capable of hitting some parts of the United States.
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North Korea has embraced what can be described as a totalitarian regime, which is predominantly focused on ensuring its survival with regard to building its defence capacities (Mansbach & Taylor, 2019). With that in mind, it is clear that the United States government finds itself at a disadvantage in dealing with North Korea, considering the threats posed by this nation both in the United States and across the globe. President Kim has issued several threats to the United States, including the colorful taunt to turn Washington into a “sea of fire” (Klinger, 2018). The motive behind most of the threats is to retaliate against some actions that the United States government has taken. An example can be seen when President Kim issued a nuclear weapon threat to the United States during a time when President Trump was considering an invasion of Iran. That seems to suggest that, indeed, North Korea ought to be regarded as a critical threat that is not only affecting the United States but other developed countries as well.
In a recent alleged cyberattack by North Korea, the United States government indicates that the North Korean government was able to hack into Sony Pictures, which only sought to fuel the tensions between these two countries. President Trump believes that any form of provocation of the North Korean government is likely to result in a situation where the state would retaliate in a manner that would have severe implications for the United States. It is clear from this point of view that North Korea does not only have to possess physical capabilities that it may use for attacks but can also be in a position allowing it to engage in cyberattacks. That seeks to reiterate the fact that, indeed, North Korea ought to be viewed as a severe threat to the United States and other developed countries.
In order to understand why North Korea is a threat to the United States, it is essential to focus on the history between North Korea and the United States. North Korea believes that the United States committed a wide array of atrocities during the Korean War. Some of these atrocities include violations of rules of wars and engaging acts of torture and mass bombings. It is estimated that the actions by the United States government resulted in the death of approximately 10% of North Koreans (Cha & Katz, 2018). That has been a critical source of concern for the totalitarian regime, which beliefs in the need for retaliation as a way of seeking justice against the United States for its involvement in the Korean War.
References
Cha, V., & Katz, K. (2018). The Right Way to Coerce North Korea: Ending the Threat Without Going to War. Foreign Aff., Vol. 97 , 87.
Jervis, R., & Rapp-Hooper, M. (2018). Perception and Misperception on the Korean Peninsula: How Unwanted Wars Begin. Foreign Aff. , 97 , 103.
Klinger, B. (2018). Why does North Korea want nukes? [Online]. Retrieved from: https://www.heritage.org/insider/summer-2018-insider/why-does-north-korea-want-nukes . Accessed October 24, 2019.
Mansbach, R., & Taylor, K. (2019). The North Korean Crisis: Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons and the Threat of Nuclear War. In Contemporary Issues in International Political Economy (pp. 113-148). Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore.
