Ever since the Korean War ended in 1953, communist North Korea, led by dictator Kim Jong Un, has been a threat to capitalist and American ally South Korea. North Korea has always been testing weapons and trying to improve them and because of that, the world has always been on the edge of their seats.

In 1945, after Japan surrendered at the end of World War II, the U.S. and Soviet Union split Korea between themselves. This was supposed to be a temporary setting, but with the rise of the Cold War, each nation set up a leader in their parts of Korea that were sympathetic to their own beliefs. The Soviet Union placed Kim Il- Sung in power, and in 1948 both sides claimed to be the legal government of the Korean peninsula.

In 1950, Kim Il-Sung attempted to bring all of Korea under his control igniting the Korean war. The war led to Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, being continuously bombed and ruined. By the end of the war, about 10% of the North’s population was killed. In 1953, both sides signed an armistice and created the demilitarized zone, the border between the North and the South.

Ever since the split between North and South Korea, there have been bitter relations, and the North has always been threatening the South. Because of our affiliation with South Korea, the United States is also a victim of these threats.

For decades now, the North has been launching and testing missiles on the Pacific coast and over Japan. When asked about it, North Korea claims it has working on its space program. Also secretly, for decades, the North has been leading a nuclear weapons program. When asked about nuclear reactors, it claims it is for nuclear power plants for electricity.

There have been a few instances where the North has sat down and tried to come to terms and formally end the Korean war, but for some reason, they always fall apart, and the North pulls out of the agreements and talks.

Another major threat that North Korea has spread to the world has been through verbal threats. In August 2012, Kim Jong Un said the North Korean army was ready to deal “deadly blows in an all-out counter-offensive.” A few months later, they announced they had developed a missile that could reach the United States. In January 2013, North Korea announced it was planning a new nuclear test, causing even more strife with the outside world.

North Korea continuously launches rockets in the missiles in the Pacific testing new technology and weapons, and as usual, these have resulted in even more sanctions being put on the country. The continuous weapon testing and threats made to South Korea and the United States have made North Korea a very hostile country and a scary threat for citizens living in the countries that are in the North’s crosshairs.