compiled by Rich Wang

The possibility of war is inching closer and closer as the byproduct of recent events. Trump’s insults, North Korean sanctions, the testimonies of defectors, and North Korea’s increasingly aggressive actions have gradually led to President Trump sending a nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bomber from Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri on a long-range mission to the Pacific and the Russian Defense Ministry announcing that US and Japanese jets escorted Russia’s missile-carrying Tupolev-95MS strategic bombers during flights over the Sea of Japan and the Pacific.

Additionally, China has allowed the US to install anti-missile defenses on the Korean peninsula, weakening North Korea’s missile program. China and South Korea have agreed to hold bilateral meetings to strengthen their ties as Kim Jong-un threatens to start World War 3. The deputy director of South Korea’s National Security Office, Nam Gwan-pyo, announced President Moon Jae-in would attend a separate meeting with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to end a year-long argument on US defence systems in the Korean peninsula.

“The threat of nuclear missile attack by North Korea is accelerating,” US defense secretary Jim Mattis warned on the weekend. Mattis made his remarks as he accused the North’s leader Kim Jong-un of “illegal and unnecessary missile and nuclear programs.” Speaking in Seoul alongside South Korean defence minister Song Young-moo, he warned: “North Korea has accelerated the threat that it poses to its neighbours and the world,” adding that “any use of nuclear weapons by the North will be met with a massive military response.”

An ERHS student, who requested to be kept anonymous, thinks that “it’s a really good step” to preparing for possible situations. They add that South Korean president Moon Jae-in is hypocritical, and believes that “North Korea should be welcome anytime to develop relationships that could result in peace.”

Will World War 3 happen? Probably. Are things going to get worse? Most likely. There isn’t much that can be done, but hope that our leaders spearheading the issue with North Korea will find the best solution.