North Korea appears to be serious in its military rhetoric. It claims that any war with them is highly likely to become a nuclear war. Military officials in the allied forces believe that any threat by the North should be deemed as a possible attack since the communist country has been amassing and testing nuclear missiles.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in was convinced that the crisis should be addressed by diplomatic solutions. He discussed this with General Joseph Dunford who had his tour in the South Korean region.
General Dunford, chairman of the U.S.
Joint Chiefs of Staff, assured Mr. Moon that the United States government would always resort to diplomacy. However, in the event of a military attack by North Korea, the U.S. armed forces are always prepared to defend South Korea.
Cutting ties with the North: China’s drastic measure
China, also a communist country, took a measure against North Korea. A slew of imports from the North is now banned in the country after an order was issued by China’s commerce ministry. The ban is in accordance with the new sanctions on North Korea which were imposed by the United Nations earlier this month. The sanctions include: banning the import of lead and lead ore, iron and iron ore, coal, and seafood from North Korea; banning new North Korean workers to enter China; and banning new joint ventures with entities or individuals from the North.
These new sanctions on North Korea serve as the UN’s response to the threats from the North and to a series of missiles tests in the region. Over the past months, the UN had given several warnings to North Korea about imposing sanctions if they continue with their military activities. But the North seemingly paid no attention to the UN’s repeated warnings.
A peaceful solution to the crisis
President Donald Trump made a warning to the North regarding its threats on Guam. Trump told North Korea to stop its military rhetoric or face grievous consequences. There are 28,500 US troops in South Korea ready for any military attack as reported by the Independent.
On the other hand, President Moon Jae-in said that South Korea’s highest priority is its national interest which is founded in peace.
"I am confident that the US will respond to the current situation in a calm and responsible manner in line with our policy direction," he said.
The possibility of a nuclear war
On Monday, KCNA, the news agency of North Korea, made a warning about the possibility of a nuclear war that could be instigated just by a minor incident. HR McMaster, US National Security Adviser, said on Sunday that the parties were getting closer to war than they were a week earlier. But CIA Director Mike Pompeo asserted that based on intelligence reports, there are no indications yet that both sides are now on the brink of a nuclear warfare.
