Empty Threat or Serious Danger

It is no secret that Kim Jong-un and his maniacal regime in North Korea have ratcheted up tensions with the United States at an alarming rate. With the knowledge that North Korea conducted over 20 missile tests on over a dozen different occasions between February and September 2017, including tests of intercontinental ballistic missiles, many Americans and our allies around the globe remain on edge. Americans may rightly wonder about North Korea's ability to threaten the homeland directly. Intelligence from the hermit kingdom is oftentimes inconsistent and limited. Despite these intelligence challenges, information that has been gathered is reason enough for alarm. According to media reports, two North Korean shipments to a Syrian government agency responsible for the country's chemical weapons program were intercepted in the past 6 months. This is not the first time a North Korean ship has been seized due to carrying suspected missile system components. In 2013, a North Korean ship was intercepted in the Panama Canal with false manifests, and hidden under legitimate cargo [were] parts for fighter jets and rockets. In addition, according to the Council on Foreign Relations, recent estimates suggest that North Korea's nuclear weapons stockpile comprises 10 to 16 nuclear weapons, and has the potential to grow rapidly by 2020 to potentially 125 weapons. Furthermore, the Center of Nonproliferation Studies estimates North Korea has between 2,500 and 5,000 metric tons of chemical weapons. As we are all aware with the assassination of Kim Jong-un's half brother with a deadly nerve agent, those weapons have already been put to use.