The United Nations Security Council has recently adopted a United States resolution to force new sanctions on North Korea after its sixth and largest nuclear test conducted in Pyongyang.
Is North Korea getting punished for disobeying international law a good sign? Not quite. North Korea says new sanctions will only accelerate their nuclear program.
The latest missile travelled 2,299 miles over Japan, putting the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, which North Korea says it has a plan to target, within reach.
The resolution called for a ban on exports of oil to North Korea and an asset freeze on Kim Jong un, the Worker’s Party and the North Korean government.
Overall, the resolution was created to accomplish six goals: cap North Korea’s oil imports, ban textile exports, end additional overseas laborer contracts, suppress smuggling efforts, stop joint ventures with other nations and sanction designated North Korean government entities.
Oil is North Korea’s main ingredient to build and fund a nuclear weapon. Therefore, capping oil imports decreases the building potential for nuclear weapons.
“These are by far the strongest measures ever imposed on North Korea,” U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said. “They give us a much better chance to halt the regime’s ability to fuel and finance its nuclear and missile programs. But we all know these steps only work if all nations implement them completely and aggressively.”
Common questions regarding the topic are: Why does North Korea want nukes and missiles? And why are they testing them now?
To sum it up, Kim Jong un is threatening the U.S. with this weaponry to discourage attempts to overthrow the regime.
If North Korea follows through with its statements, President Trump says, “the United States has great strength and patience, but if it is forced to defend itself, or its allies, we will have no choice but to totally destroy North Korea.”
In a statement released Sept. 21, Kim said North Korea is considering the strongest possible response to, in his words, Trump’s provocation. He also said Trump is a “mentally deranged dotard” that will pay dearly.
“I would like to advise Trump to exercise prudence in selecting words and to be considerate of whom he speaks to when making a speech in front of the world,” Jong-un said, according to The Associated Press.
Kim Jong un has followed up on these threats by potentially testing a hydrogen bomb over the Pacific Ocean.
Although Trump’s speeches are usually abrasive and direct, diplomats were taken aback when he threatened another country with destruction.
Directly threatening a country with known access to powerful weapons was most likely not the wisest decision. And even though the actions and statements made by both leaders is nothing short of childish, a solid stance needed to be made.
“We are done trying to prod the regime to do the right thing. We are now trying to stop it from having the ability to do the wrong thing,” Haley said.
As a country, we should unite in the fact that we do not stand for threats.
Kim Jong un is currently dictating North Korea but will never dictate America and its morals and values.
