2022-12-25

Tick Tick Boom- North Korea Makes Threats of Nuclear Bombing

By: Anika Vadala

Nuclear weapons have the power to decimate countries, their effects resonating for centuries. We would like to think that the world has learned its lesson after the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but nuclear weapons still appear to be a threat, especially now. North Korea is making threats of nuclear bombing the United States. Kim Jong Un, the leader, has been frequently photographed inspecting missiles with his daughter. He promised to "possess the world's most powerful strategic force" in late November.

North Korea's atomic arsenal consists of a myriad of ballistic, cruise, and hypersonic missiles. The number of missile tests has increased under the rule of Kim Jung Un compared to Kim Jong Il. Kim is concerned about the prospect of being taken over by foreign powers, such as the United States of America and South Korea. In order to protect the country, Kim is investing in nuclear weapons, which he believes provide formidable protection.

In October, North Korea fired a missile that flew over Japan, believed to be the intermediate-range Hwasong-12. This can travel up to 4,500 kilometers, putting the US island of Guam within its radius. The Hwasong-14 ballistic missile, with a range of 8,000 kilometers, but is capable of traveling as far as 10,000 kilometers, making it capable of reaching New York, is also being tested by North Korea. The Hwasong-15 missile, said to have a range of 13,000 kilometers, puts all of the continental US in its range. Experts believe that the unveiling of the new missiles seem to be a show of power of the North's military prowess and a veiled message to the US. In 2017, the last time North Korea tested a nuclear bomb, the explosion resulting from the testing had a force between 100 to 370 kilotons. For comparison, a 100-kiloton bomb is almost six times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima by the USA in 1945. The most recent assessment estimates that North Korea is in possession of enough nuclear fuel for 50 weapons.