North Korea and their missiles – a recap of what’s going on

By Laura Bohnert

We’ve known since the beginning that Trump isn’t exactly the best at making friends, but now there’s a chance that his self-important hostility is, quite literally, about to go nuclear.

An anxiety-provoking back and forth has been going on between Trump and Kim Jong Un since the US’s airstrike on Syria, an event that put North Korea on edge. Jong Un declared the airstrike, which was ordered in response to an event that posed no threat to the US, to be in violation of UN resolutions and international law, and cites the act as validation for North Korea’s nuclear weapons.

In his never-ending Twitter feed, Trump quoted, “North Korea is looking for trouble. If China decides to help, that would be great. If not, we will solve the problem without them!  U.S.A.”—and then he re-routed a fleet of warships to the Korean Peninsula.

Jong Un’s response: a warning to Trump that North Korea will strike nuclear warfare against the US if provoked.

The warning made North Korea’s military parade, held during the Day of the Sun festival and in celebration of the 105^th birthday of late founder Kim Il Sung, all the more meaningful. Many are arguing that the military display of new long-range and submarine-based missiles and intercontinental weapons was meant as a demonstration of North Korea’s military might—and its leader’s commitment to missile development and nuclear weaponry.

Trump’s provocation has hit on a critical international issue. The international community has expressed concern over North Korea’s nuclear programme in the past.

Despite the slight relief offered by the failed nuclear test that took place following the military parade, North Korea has already conducted five successful nuclear tests. The successful tests took place in 2006, 2009, 2013, and September of 2016—and the yield of the bombs has increased. The 2016 test produced an unconfirmed explosive yield between 10 and 30 kilotonnes, making it one of the North’s strongest nuclear tests ever.

A lot of uncertainty remains regarding the validity of North Koreas claims of success as well as the type of material used for the nuclear tests and North Korea’s actual ability to deliver a nuclear warhead, and the recent failed test has eased a lot of alarm, but the fact that North Korea is still developing its nuclear weaponry is cause enough for international alarm—especially since the recent response to Trump seems to have completely derailed longstanding negotiations between the US, Russia, China, Japan, South Korea, and North Korea (the six-party talks) to attempt to convince North Korea to agree to disarmament deals.

In other words, Trump is playing with a lot more than just fire here, and his indiscreet and undiplomatic Twitter comments may be starting a new international trend in bombshelter attire—any chance that’s the latest focus of Ivanka’s clothing line?