Recently, the United States of America and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) have been in many tense arguments. These disagreements have not just suddenly come up, they have been ongoing for almost 60 years.

Since the 1950-1953 Korean War, North Korea has feared that the U.S. would eradicate their Communist regime. The new leader of North Korea is Kim Jong Un, and he has been said, by officials, to be quite unpredictable. Analysts have said that the reasons for these threats are because he is trying to show his dominance and that he is not afraid of his enemies.

Korea has several ballistic missiles that are capable of attaching nuclear warheads, but the chances that one can actually reach the United States mainland is slim. Still, these threats are taken seriously, and any launch towards the U.S. will be considered an act of aggression. The U.S. is ready to shoot down any missiles but will only do so if the missile is a threat to the United States or one of its territories, such as Guam.

“Today, the Korean peninsula provides the world’s clearest contrast between a society that is open and a society that is closed; between a nation that is dynamic and growing, and a government that would rather starve its people than change,” President Barack Obama said in a speech. “It’s a contrast so stark you can see it from space, as the brilliant lights of Seoul give way to the utter darkness in the north.”

The chances of a nuclear war happening is unlikely (CNN analysts have said), but there is still that chance that North Korea will launch an attack on American soil.

“I think the Koreans won’t do anything because the benefits don’t outweigh the downfalls. Even if they do something, it will be shut down instantly,” sophomore Andrew Tully said.