North Korea: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Recently tensions with North Korea have risen, especially since the report from the Pentagon stating that Pyongyang could have an ICBM with nuclear capabilities by early 2018. Don’t go into deep isolation in your bomb shelter just yet, another report from Fox News says that the US Pacific Fleet is ready to launch a nuclear strike and do anything that would deflect any attacks toward the U.S., using the many anti-missile defense systems at their disposal in the region. While this is a bit of relief, the North Korean government has stated that any sign of attack will make Pyongyang use its “Nuclear Hammer” in retaliation. The North Korean situation became more mainstream when the American tourist Otto Warmbier was arrested and sentenced to 15  years of hard labor. The State Department this year negotiated his release. When he was returned in June, Otto’s family discovered that he was in a coma and deeply ill.  He later died on June 19. This sparked an outrage that has spread over the country.

There are many now calling for a preemptive strike on the Rogue State before they can attempt to do any damage. However, there are many other military response options that are being weighed and considered. The preemptive strike is not the ideal, but more of a last resort because of the impossibility of completely destroying the weapons capabilities of the regime.  Since President Trump took office, North Korea has increased their threats and hostile rhetoric. The U.S. has responded by sending the Carl Vinson carrier strike group along with the Ronald Reagan group to the Sea of Japan in response the provocations from the North Korean regime.  But what would happen if we did attack North Korea? According to the North Korean State media, and our intelligence agencies, Kim Jong Un has his artillery aimed right at Seoul, South Korea vowing that if we attack them they will destroy the city and cause massive casualties. With an estimated 9.86 million living in the city, not mentioning the U.S. troops in the city.  A preemptive strike would be deadly to say the least, leaving few feasible options on the table for the military.  At this point, the best scenario could be an attempt to set up a coup to overthrow the regime. The situation with North Korea is complex and dangerous, but I feel that the U.S. will eventually confront and defeat the regime.