Kim Jong Un of North Korea ordered his troops to make preparations for war during a military exercise as the U.S. and South Korea were wrapping up their own large military exercises. Kim oversaw the training for the tank crew on Thursday and praised his troops’ abilities and the tanks saying they are the most powerful tanks in the world. He also urged his troops to conduct military training that simulated preparing for war. Kim has grown more combative towards the U.S. and South Korea in the past year and in January said he would seek “peaceful reunification” with South Korea. His remarks come from the U.S. and South Korea doing a military exercise on the Korean Peninsula which angered North Korea.
This will have effects on the region because it will likely limit military training in the area. With both groups excising extreme military training operations they will likely get even more extreme until conflict breaks out. North Korea the U.S. and South Korea are having a “military measuring contest” which will lead to aggression. I find it very unlikely that either of them would attack the other because South Korea is a part of NATO and North Korea has nuclear weapons and missiles. What is scary about Kim not wanting a peaceful reunification is that South Korea’s capital Seoul is only 60km away from the North Korean border meaning an invasion could be quick and lethal.
This relates to our international relations class because it deals with national security. North Korea sees the military training exercises being done by South Korea and the U.S. on the Korean Peninsula as a national security threat. They have a justifiable reason too. America has the strongest military on Earth and has an ongoing conflict with South Korea. If Kim and North Korea feel they are getting backed into a corner and have no other option but to use military strength this could become a global issue and security threat.