President Donald
J. Trumps’ comments both on and off Twitter have sparked new and heightened
tensions with North Korea.
But what’s next?
War?
War is always a
scary thought, especially when nuclear war is on the line. And for the last few
months, North Korea not only has been testing nuclear weapons and missiles, but
they have been “bragging” how their missiles can reach the United States.
However, the USA
did “show some muscle” and flew close to North Korea.
North Korea hasn’t
expressed interest in talks with the USA to de-escalate the situation in the
past. However, a new report released by CBS on 1/6/2018, President Donald J.
Trump is open to speaking to North Korea. This is after boasting on both sides
that they “have the nuclear buttons sitting on their desk, that they can use
any time.”
(You can read
more about that here: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/trump-says-he-s-open-talking-north-korea-s-kim-n835291).
Nodong, Musudan,
and two different Hwasongs. These are the missiles North Korea has tested and
that function, according to a BBC article. According to the same article, North
Korea has two under development, a KN-14 and a KN-08.
Now what kind of
damage could they do?
According to the BBC article “In
May 2017, North Korea test fired a Hwasong 12 missile, which analysts believe
could have a range of up to 4,500km, putting US military bases on the Pacific
island of Guam well within in striking distance.
But two tests in July of
the Hwasong-14 missile demonstrated even greater potential, possibly giving
North Korea its first truly
intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM).
Analysts believe this missile could be a
two-stage version of the Hwasong-12. Initial estimates suggested a range of
about 8,000km, but later studies suggested that it could travel as far as
10,000km if fired on a maximising trajectory, allowing it to potentially hit
New York.
In August 2017 the second missile test
of the Hwasong 12 travelled over Japan, the first time a ballistic missile has
flown over the territory and was described as an "unprecedented
threat".
This was repeated on 15 September with a
missile that flew a greater distance and reached a higher altitude than the
August test, demonstrating an improvement in range for the missile.
Then came the Hwasong 15 test on
29 November, which saw a missile fired to an estimated altitude of 4,500km
above the Earth.
Experts suggest that this
missile, if fired on a more conventional lower trajectory, could
have a maximum range of some 13,000km, putting all of the continental United
States in North Korea's sights.”
(You can read those
articles here: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41356973
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41174689)
Personally speaking, I
think that we will end up in war with North Korea, tensions have been building
between the USA and North Korea and North Korea and other nations since before
President Trump took office. Then President Trump sparks up more tension with
his rhetoric, to the media and on Twitter.