Can N Korea really attack the United States?

[mindlight]

The North Korean regime has a lot to gain by achieving the capability to reach the US with their missiles, but very little to gain by launching a random attack on an American city.

Not only, would the US most likely shoot their missiles down, long before they cross the ocean, but more importantly, it would be wishing total annihilation upon itself. Even China would declare war on them, probably be the first to nuke them too. North Korean leaders obviously know they can't take on the US and expect to win, so they won't. Doesn't mean they don't want the bragging rights that comes with the "theoretical" ability to strike you, if they wanted/needed to.

Their missile program is for self-preservation purposes only. They want the ability to promise plenty collateral damage, in order to minimize the risk of invasion. And they can deliver plenty of damage to South Korea, Japan, and even China, if China turns on them. And you really can't rule out the US completely once they reach that milestone.

The US's recent aggression is therefor dangerous and unnecessary in my opinion. There's no point "saving" the north Korean people, if nothing but rubble remains once it's done.

Getting rid of their nuclear programme without regime change or reunification being on the table is an achievable goal and especially with Chinese support. But if the regime has set their hearts on keeping this programme then more violent measures might be necessary. The thing with this regime is that there is no guarantee of the sanity you assume remaining in charge of the nuclear weapons. Once they have reached a certain capacity there is no guarantee that they will not use it. There have already been incidents with lesser weapons so why would they show any restraint when they have an even greater capacity. Right now there is a reasonable chance of winning a military confrontation and at very least taking out their launch capabilities , research facilities and main launch centres. Later that might not be so easy. It may well cost lives to intervene now, but how many millions will die later if there is no intervention. Smells like one of those Neville Chamberlain goes to Munich moments.

 

[Nithavela]

They propably don't have the ability to harm the USA, except its fiefdoms in the pacific and perhaps the west coast. If you don't live anywhere there, I'm sure you'll die because of some other reason.

 

[Nithavela]

And if all else fails, this should come in handy:

 

[Nithavela]

How do you think this thing with North Korea will end? If they do attack us, will it literally be the end of the world?

NK won't attack the USA; the USA will propably attack north korea. Then NK will turn SK into a slag heap, if not with nuclear bombs then with the thousands of cold war era artillery pieces it has trained on seoul. Japan too, perhaps. After that, you guys can build a new regime.

 

[buzuxi02]

I have been thinking for a while and I'm scared a lot. I know if I love Jesus I shouldn't be scared. I pray for the Lord to guide me to somebody who knows more about the issue. Should I fear dying from North Korea?

North Korea is an extremely poor country. Electricity for a few hours a day. We admit they neither have nuclear weapons nor missiles capable of traveling far. Their weapons and airforce are antiquated. The only thing they can do is invade South Korea. That's the only thing we fear and not because South Korea''s industries can be sent back to the stone age. That would be a plus to the United States. No Samsung, No Kia, No Hyundai, Japan would love that as well. The reason we are afraid of that scenario is because they kicked our a$$ 50 years ago which is why they exist today.
When it comes to North Korea it all comes down to what's best for business. This is why China is open to replacing the current regime. A new regime lifts UN sanctions and modernizaton which will make everyone money.

 

[Nithavela]

North Korea is an extremely poor country. Electricity for a few hours a day. We admit they neither have nuclear weapons nor missiles capable of traveling far. Their weapons and airforce are antiquated. The only thing they can do is invade South Korea. That's the only thing we fear and not because South Korea''s industries can be sent back to the stone age. That would be a plus to the United States. No Samsung, No Kia, No Hyundai, Japan would love that as well. The reason we are afraid of that scenario is because they kicked our a$$ 50 years ago which is why they exist today.
When it comes to North Korea it all comes down to what's best for business. This is why China is open to replacing the current regime. A new regime lifts UN sanctions and modernizaton which will make everyone money.

Just like afghanistan and iraq! Lotsa money for everyone! Weeeeeeeee!

 

[mindlight]

North Korea is an extremely poor country. Electricity for a few hours a day. We admit they neither have nuclear weapons nor missiles capable of traveling far. Their weapons and airforce are antiquated. The only thing they can do is invade South Korea. That's the only thing we fear and not because South Korea''s industries can be sent back to the stone age. That would be a plus to the United States. No Samsung, No Kia, No Hyundai, Japan would love that as well. The reason we are afraid of that scenario is because they kicked our a$$ 50 years ago which is why they exist today.
When it comes to North Korea it all comes down to what's best for business. This is why China is open to replacing the current regime. A new regime lifts UN sanctions and modernizaton which will make everyone money.

China was the main factor in the stalemate result in the Korean war. North Korea would not exist without China. The question for the Chinese today is whether they contribute any value to China, whether a nuclear armed North Korea governed by Crazies is in Chinas interest and what they can do about it. If they cannot do anything maybe it is time to consider cooperation with the USA

 

[mark46]

China was the main factor in the stalemate result in the Korean war. North Korea would not exist without China. The question for the Chinese today is whether they contribute any value to China, whether a nuclear armed North Korea governed by Crazies is in Chinas interest and what they can do about it. If they cannot do anything maybe it is time to consider cooperation with the USA

China doesn't want a unified Korea at her border. North Korea is a buffer state. Yes, China would be OK with regime change, if it was clear that this new government would be pro-China and prohibited from unification (or even military treaties) with South Korea.

 

[DogmaHunter]

I have been thinking for a while and I'm scared a lot. I know if I love Jesus I shouldn't be scared. I pray for the Lord to guide me to somebody who knows more about the issue. Should I fear dying from North Korea?

NK is a barking dog.

Their leader is as insane as they come, but let's be serious here... he is not SO insane as to commit national suicide - because that is exactly what it would be if he decides to engage in any such shenannigans.

 

[Shadow]

I have been thinking for a while and I'm scared a lot. I know if I love Jesus I shouldn't be scared. I pray for the Lord to guide me to somebody who knows more about the issue. Should I fear dying from North Korea?

No. A lot of things have to go wrong for there to be a nuclear exchange between the USA and North Korea. The issues right now are to do with North Korea developing the technological capability of attacking the US not whether it is a serious immediate possibility.

Prof Siegfried S Hecker of Stanford University, a highly authoritative voice on North Korea's weapons' development, says "we must assume that the DPRK has designed and demonstrated nuclear warheads that can be mounted on some of its short-range and perhaps medium-range missiles".

Writing in September 2016, he said Pyongyang's ability to field an intercontinental ballistic missile fitted with a nuclear warhead capable of reaching the US was "still a long way off - perhaps 5 to 10 years, but likely doable if the programme is unconstrained".

North Korea's nuclear programme: How advanced is it? - BBC News

From North Korea's perspective, the USA is the "imperialist" superpower that can invade their country and developing missiles capable of hitting them "levels the playing field". Officially, North Korea would argue that its weapons programme is "defensive" but whether that's true depends on how you see North Korea's actions as just "aggressive" or whether their is "method in the madness". The North Koreans government keeps the memory of the Korean War alive as it is crucial to its legitimacy and to it's ideology of "self-reliance" or "Juche" as well as justifying the "military-first" policy which prioritises spending on the military over civilian consumption.