Tensions continue to mount on the Korean Peninsula as a war between North and South looks more likely by the day.
On Thursday, North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un supervised a live artillery drill that was suspiciously close to a disputed sea border between the two nations. It was not specified exactly where the drill took place, but regardless it is an aggressive act by Kim Jong Un that is sure to do little to quell the tension that has been building for some time.
For the past several years the Noth has ramped up efforts to improve their nuclear program, prompting many to believe that their purpose is to create a nuclear bomb for use in warfare. North Korea has before said that they only wanted nuclear capability for energy, but have lately been making it abundantly clear that they desire to improve their war arsenal.
In the past couple of years North Korea has engaged in several ballistics tests that have received condemnation from many U.N. countries, the U.S. being one of the most vocal. Most recently, after continued advancements and testing of it's nuclear program, the North received sanctions from the U.N. that would put a hold on all of its foreign cash transactions and purchases of luxury items. The leadership in Pyongyang did not take this lightly.
"Since the United States is about to ignite a nuclear war, we will be exercising our right to preemptive nuclear attack against the headquarters of the aggressor in order to protect our supreme interest," said the North Korean foreign ministry spokesman.
Since that statement about a week ago, North Korea has continued with its aggression by ripping up the 1953 armistice it had with the South, effectively ending any peace treaty the two nations may have had. Kim Jong Un's government has made threats towards both South Korea and the U.S., but many have doubted the North's ability to successfully reach America with a nuclear attack.
It is uncertain whether or not this tension will result in war, but North Korea is fully capable of heightening its aggression as much as necessary. In 2010 their artillery fired at a South Korean border island, killing several of its inhabitants. If this were to occur again, chances are high that friction would escalate quickly.
"If necessary, we plan to send a message to North Korea," said Kim Haing, a spokeswoman for the President of South Korea, Park Geun-hye.
