Let’s be honest, North Korea isn’t exactly known as the good neighbor of the world. If anything, everyone views them as a dictatorship run by a crazy man who loves Hollywood films. The only other thing they are known for is their military, and in that realm their newest project is sending shivers down the spines of military experts everywhere.
According to the government in Seoul, South Korea, their neighbors to the north successfully launched a ballistic missile from a submarine near the eastern port city of Sinpo, where North Korea has a major shipyard known for building submarines.
This is an especially big threat since Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs) fired from submarines are extremely hard to detect and stop, even for advanced countries like the United States. They can also carry nuclear warheads.
And that’s where this story gets even trickier. According to US military intelligence, North Korea is planning to begin testing new, compact nuclear warheads later this month. This would mark the first time in 5 years, since former President Trump took office, that the country has tested nukes.
Despite the media’s criticism of former President Trump and his alleged “cozy” relationship with Kim Jong Un, it seems clear that his influence played a large role in the cooling of tensions with the north as well as a cooling of their nuclear ambitions.
South Korean and US intelligence officials described the launch as a “clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions” and a “serious threatening act that harms international peace and stability.”
Japanese Prime Minister Nobu Kishi also spoke about the launch, saying that while it was unacceptable, it did not take place in Japan’s exclusive economic zone and that no aircraft or vessels were damaged in the test.
South Korean national security director Suh Hoon urged North Korea to return to stalled talks about defusing the nuclear standoff between the two countries, another effort that had been led by Donald Trump.
The United States and South Korea announced they will be holding joint anti-submarine exercises following the launch.
It seems clear from the reports that North Korea is moving again on their military ambitions. It also seems that the biggest change between now and when they were not testing nuclear weapons was the election of Joe Biden. Do you think North Korea would be making these moves if Trump was still in office? Why or why not?
