Over the Clinton, Obama, and now the Trump presidency North Korea has issued multiple threats against the US and its allies. These threats included the successful talk of nuclear missile tests and the devastation of the US. Frequent disputes have occurred with North Korea and now the severity of these disputes have grown.

“In September of last year, North Korea claimed to have successfully tested a nuclear warhead. Pyongyang says it is pursuing nuclear weapons to defend itself from what it calls US aggression,” stated CNN on their article aircraft carrier-led strike group headed toward Korean Peninsula.

During the week of April 9th, 2017, the USS Carl Vinson began moving toward the coast of Korea. In light of Trump’s warnings toward Korea, Korea then threatened to sink the Carl Vinson because the ship was moving close to the country.

The aircraft carrier was actually moving to the Japanese coast to perform combat exercises with two other Japanese carriers. After the exercises, the three aircraft carriers were to proceed to Australia to perform more exercises with the Australian navy.

This predicament was one of the many threats that North Korea had issued toward the US and its forces. Now, barely a month later, the US has confirmed that Korea has fired, yet another, ballistic missile. On May 13th, 2017, Korea launched another missile which landed in the Sea of Japan. North Korea has reported the millage the missile has covered. In light of all this, the US government is paying more attention to North Korea and the country’s activities.

“In a sign of Washington’s growing concern about the North, the CIA announced Wednesday its establishment of an integrated ‘Korea Mission Center.’ It will be headed by a veteran operations officer to harness and direct the spy agency’s efforts in addressing the nuclear and ballistic missile threats,” stated Fox News in their article “North Korea fires ballistic missile off its coast, Pentagon confirms.”

Today, the threats are definitely building and one could say that North Korea is a force to be reckoned with. The increase in missile tests, could indeed lead to impending actions from Korea.

“I think that usually when we think about North Korea, we usually make a joke about it but now that they have done the practice missile test, I think that they are becoming a bigger threat,” said Nat Mason (12).

The US’s relationship with North Korea has been tested over many years and presidencies. However, Trump’s presidency seems to have the most impact with the threat of North Korea. Many questions remain about the US’s plan of action and the truth to North Korea’s threats. Could all of this be a front to avoid the power of United States and its allies? Or is there something more in the works from the country? One thing is for sure, both counties and more are locked in a stalemate waiting for the other to make the first “real” move.