Over a month ago, the United States seemed to be making progress in nuclear talks with Iran, but now North Korea is becoming a concern as repeated threats have been made to South Korea and the United States.
Most of the threats have come in the form of North Korea saying it will launch a missile as a test, but officials say the threats must be taken seriously.
Sen. John McCain said even if the missile is just a test launch, the United States still needs to keep a close eye on the situation.
“If they launched a missile, we should take it out. It’s best to show them what some of our capabilities are,” McCain said in Foreign Policy. “Their missile would most likely miss, but the fact that they have the ability to launch one with that range is very escalatory at least.”
North Korea is also becoming a concern for China, usually an ally for the country. At an international press conference, Chinese President Xi Jinping said that all countries should be contributing to peace, no matter their differences.
“Countries, whether big or small, strong or weak, rich or poor, should all contribute their share in maintaining and enhancing peace,” President Xi said, according to CNN.
As a result of increasing tensions, North Korea announced that it would withdraw 53,000 North Korean workers from the industrial park it shares with South Korea. The park is in the border town of Kaesong and is run by South Korea, according to The New York Times.
North Korea has made threats to South Korea in light of its relationship with the United States. Tuesday, North Korea urged foreigners to evacuate the South as it continued to make war threats. However, the United States embassy in South Korea announced that it had not evacuated anyone, according to Reuters.
If the threats are to be taken seriously, it would not just affect the United States at a national level, but states as well. According to a map released by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 1990, if certain areas in Wyoming were to be hit by nuclear strikes, it could be very deadly.
The map shows areas within about 75-mile radius of Cheyenne with minimal survivors. The map shows a similar outcome for areas within about 25 miles of Casper if it were to be hit by a nuclear strike. Amid these threats, officials are still unsure if the threats are to be taken seriously as negotiations continue.
