Tensions Between the US and North Korea Are Rising Again

Yesterday, North Korea threatened a preemptive strike on the Andersen Air Force Base in Guam. This threat came right after the U.S. president’s Fire & Fury statement.

However, it’s not only the United States that has its eyes on North Korea. This is the first time in many years that we see the whole international community and the United Nations concerned by North Korea’s recent actions.

On August 5^th, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously (15 to 0) to impose new sanctions on North Korea in response to the launch of two intercontinental missiles in July. These sanctions are estimated to cost North Korea $1 billion a year in international trade.

With these new sanctions, the UN is expecting that the North Korean regime abandons their nuclear weapons development program, yet, the effectiveness of these sanctions are almost impossible to predict.

Russian and Chinese Support for the New Sanctions

Russia and China are both North Korea’s biggest economic allies. That is why it is so important that they voted in favor of the sanctions. This will hopefully put some pressure on the Regime and it will be felt in the country.

These new sanctions prohibit the increase on the number of North Korean migrant workers in Russia. China, on the other hand, is arranging a face-to-face meeting between their foreign ministers. This will be done in hopes to urge North Korea to stop their missile tests.

Japan will Continue to Increase its Defense Budget

At the beginning of this year, Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, said he will not cap military spending below one percent of the country’s GDP.

In 2017, the military defense budget approved by the Japanese cabinet will be 1.4 percent higher from 2016.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Japan’s defense budget has increased since Shinzo Abe took office in 2012. This defense budget increase is driven by China’s aggressive expansion on the East China Sea, and North Korea’s ballistic missile tests.

North Korea Nuclear Plans

On Tuesday, the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) warned that North Korea has successfully miniaturized nuclear weapons that can fit on top of an Intercontinental missile.

This statement comes after Pyongyang threatened “actions” in response to the sanctions imposed by the United Nations security council.

The U.S Response

The president of the United States did not hesitate to reply to North Korea’s threats by warning that they “will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen” if it continues to threaten the United States.

Guam

Despite Trump’s warnings, the North Korean military said it was examining a preemptive strike on Guam if the United States showed signs of provocation.

This situation is certainly a serious matter and a dangerous threat to the world’s stability. The escalation of this conflict could unleash a catastrophic war like the world has never seen before.

Let’s hope that both countries realize it would be suicidal for any side to attack or even provoke one another.