North Korea's Missile Crisis May Come Sooner Than Later

On January 20, 2022, North Korea launched 9 ballistic missiles -the largest number of launches that has occurred in a single month in their entire military history. Many people around the world were shocked to see such a performance by the DPRK, with as many as nine U.N. Security Council members condemned North Korea’s actions, saying it was a “significant escalation” in the recent history of North Korea’s violations.

More specifically, the DPRK launched its first IRBM (intermediate-range ballistic missile), the Hwasong-12, in over 5 years. North Korea provided photos of this test, showing images of the Hwasong-12 lifting off from a road-mobile launcher. Shockingly, they revealed photos of the Earth from the missile, reportedly being in space. The validity of these photos are not yet clear, however.

This show of power demonstrates how North Korea is becoming an even greater threat than ever, and is yet to slow down or accept the terms proposed by the United Nations. The U.N., along with the Biden administration, should take steps to pursue diplomatic action with North Korea. However, on a more realistic note, due to the ongoing patterns of law breaking of U.N. laws, the other nations should prepare themselves to defend and reprimand North Korea by force.

Timothy L.