This week leader of North Korea, Kim Jong Un, held a military parade in order to showcase new military massive weapons, submarine-launched ballistic missiles (ICBMs), in order to showcase his call for the expansion of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. During the parade, Kim Jong Un spoke front and center. He discusses how he plans to strengthen allying Asian nuclear powers to combat what Un called “U.S hostility” toward North Korea. He explained that until Washington ceases its antagonism toward North Korea, mutual relations between the two countries will not take place. Such hostility was in reference to current President Donald Trump’s North Korean denuclearization plans and incoming president Joe Biden's statement in the past referring to Kim as a “thug”. State Media and reports suggest that Un did not actually speak at this parade and that the North Korean state TV aired edited footage of thousands of soldiers and civilians cheering with fireworks going off above as Kim walked to the stage. There have been questions of whether this was all real and can North Korea really develop weapons to this capacity, or if this was a propaganda attempt to instill fear in opposing/competing countries such as the United States. Do you think the picture above is real and if so should we be worried?
Luckily, the U.S currently has the best military in the world when it comes to nuclear weapons, but countries like China, Russia, and North Korea are catching up. The U.S has an estimated 5,800 warheads (a type of nuclear missile), while China is said to have in the low 300s, although they are expanding their weapons all the time and they might have more we do not know about. Additionally, Russia has an estimated 6,375, although the U.S has bigger and more lethal missiles. 2020 and 2021 have come with lots of distractions such as the raid on the capital; rioting, looting, and burning of businesses in major cities; the 2020 election results; and the Chinese Corona Virus, that we have stopped thinking about these major threats to our great country. While they may not be current threats today, they may be in the near future. Are we distracted right now from other major threats to our country? Should we be worried about North Korean military power? Is nuclear war inevitable? What countries could we possibly go to war in the coming years?
Hi Ethan,
ReplyDeleteI remember last year when Kim Jung Un said that America should expect a "Christmas Gift" and it never happened. I feel like we always get scared whenever North Korea says something, but nothing has ever happened. I could be naive, but I just feel that North Korea wouldn't risk a nuclear war, or any war, because the whole world is against them.
Hey Eden,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment! I was not aware of that example from last year so thank you for bringing that up. I agree with you that they are not planning on messing with the U.S any time soon, but we should still keep our eye on them. Also, I don't think the whole world is against them, but we still are fine.