Korean Nuclear Missiles and the President’s Reaction
- The STEM Academy Paper
- Mar 13, 2019
- 3 min read
Ritti Bhogal
March 13, 2019
How it Started
At the beginning of 2017, a month after U.S. President Donald Trump was inaugurated, North Korean Dictator Kim Jong Un began testing multiple nuclear missiles. Seeing as this action posed a threat to U.S. national security, Trump insulted Kim and his nuclear program with tweets stating, “Does this guy have anything better to do with his life?” Trump even went as far as threatening to start war between the U.S. and North Korea, saying Korea will face “fire and fury like the world has never seen.” Up until spring 2018, both leaders hurled offenses back and forth at each other, criticizing one another’s physical appearances and the capabilities of their militaries. North Korea continued to improve its nuclear arsenal regardless of backlash from the U.S. President.
However, during the Winter Olympics of 2018, Kim Jong Un and South Korean President, Moon Jae-in, came together to have a diplomatic discussion, in which Kim revealed
he plans on disassembling North Korea’s nuclear program. Peace talks continued between North and South Korea in an attempt to end the Korean War, and the U.S. President took partial credit for urging negotiations between both countries and for helping them enter a new era of tranquility. He was even nominated to win a Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts.
2019 North Korean Summit
Ever since the announcement of a possible peace strategy from North Korea, the relationship between Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un has slowly developed into what seems to be a mutual friendship.
That was until Trump’s recent North Korean summit on February 28th, when he would make final negotiations with Kim regarding the dismantling of nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, the summit failed(along with Trump’s chances of getting the Nobel Peace Prize), and Trump could not make a full agreement with Kim. Kim could promise that he would not start nuclear testing. However, he refused to demolish all of his testing sites. It seemed that their friendship was not enough to win the dictator over, and Korea itself was too reluctant to let go of its growing nuclear weapon supply. After realizing he could not secure a complete deal, Trump ended the summit and came back to the U.S., walking away from the opportunity entirely. According to government officials, a chance to stop North Korea’s nuclear missile advancement was rare, and this opportunity may have been the only chance at peace.
Rebuilding the Missile Site
Only a few days after the summit did South Korea’s Yonhap news agency and a Washington think tank* discover a developing rocket launch facility that North Korea had promised to take down. South Korean news reported that Suh Hoon, National Intelligence Service director, was told by lawmakers that only roofs and buildings were being repaired.
While Trump claims that his relationship with Kim has not been broken, the reinstallation of the rocket site has left him feeling “very disappointed” as a Korean leader. Further investigation in satellite images of the missile site suggests that reconstruction on the site had started three weeks ago, at least a week before the summit, and is continuing after the summit too. Despite that fact, the U.S. President still believes that Kim will stop the advancement of nuclear technology in Korea.
Even though Trump said that he was “in no rush” to disarm Korea’s nuclear weapons before the summit, Korea continues to build upon its nuclear reserves. As North Korea’s nuclear missile supply grows, the threat of a nuclear war and our understanding of the “mutually assured destruction” concept strengthens as well. Which one will prevail? Considering recent revelations, we cannot be too sure.
Think tank: a group of experts providing ideas and finding information on specific political or economic problems.Bibliography
Associated Press. Kim Jong Un and Donald Trump North Korean Summit 2019. Photograph. February 28, 2019. Digital file.
Associated Press, Kelsey Tamborrino, Andrew Restuccia, Rebecca Morin, Katie Galioto, Caitlin Oprysko, Bryan Bender, Politico Staff, Matthew Choi, and Eliana Johnson. "U.S.-North Korea Summit." Politico (Arling County, VA), January 23, 2007, international edition. Accessed March 8, 2019.
Buncombe, Andrew. "North Korea rebuilding missile site it promised Trump would be scrapped, claim analysts." The Independent (London, UK), October 7, 1986. Accessed March 9, 2019.
Estepa, Jessica. "18 Republican lawmakers nominate President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize." USAToday (McLean, VA), September 15, 1982, national edition, News section. Accessed March 7, 2019.
Macias, Amanda. "North Korea spent most of Trump's first year in office perfecting its nuclear arsenal." CNBC (Englewood Cliffs, NJ), April 17, 1989, international edition. Accessed March 9, 2019.
Wiley, Hannah. "From 'fire and fury' to potential peace: How Trump and Kim's relationship evolved." USAToday (McLan, VA), September 15, 1982, international edition, News section. Accessed March 7, 2019.
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