North Korea Tests New ICBM

The sky was filled with colorful explosions this 4th of July as a display of our American independence. Unfortunately, across the sea, North Korea lit up the sky with their own type of fireworks, an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) test.

In a recent statement, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called the launch “a new escalation of the threat to the United States, our allies and partners, the region and the world.”  Analysts claimed that if North Korea’s ICBM were to be fired at standard trajectory, it would have the distance to reach Alaska. 

United States authorities have confirmed that North Korea’s latest test launch (Hwasong-14) was in fact an intercontinental ballistic missile. What’s even more unsettling is the North Korean state media referred to the missiles as, “gift packages to the Yankees.” The Americans quickly responded with a missile test of their own in neighboring South Korea. The joint exercise was meant to display the ability to precisely target enemy leadership in the time of an emergency and the actions have made it clear that the United States and South Korea will not stand for North Korean provocation.

Kim Jong Un’s latest ICBM test launch intensified the stalemate between the United States and North Korean militaries. Knowing that any attack by the United States would prompt a bloody counterattack against American ally South Korea, the standoff between the two nations continues.

The United States' options are limited. North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is dwarfed by the repertoire of the United States and could be eliminated within days. But according to United States Secretary of Defense James “Mad Dog” Mattis, North Korea utilizing their artillery “would probably be the worst kind of fighting in most people’s lifetimes.”

A military attack aimed at destroying an entire nation’s nuclear arsenal is unprecedented, but in response to North Korea’s new developments in nuclear artillery, the United States and South Korea will continue their joint military exercises in preparation for the worst.

Upon the request of Japan, South Korea, and the United States, the United Nations will hold an emergency meeting today to discuss how North Korea’s nuclear experimentation should be handled. 

President Donald Trump voiced his views on the matter when he tweeted, “North Korea just launched another missile. Does this guy have anything better to do with his life? Hard to believe that South Korea and Japan will put up with this for much longer. Perhaps China will pull a heavy move on North Korea and end this nonsense once and for all!”

Hopefully the only explosions in the next few days will just be leftover M-80s.