The threat of nuclear war between the United States and North Korea was recently brought to the public’s attention on October 10th, when the U.S. “flew two strategic bombers over the Korean peninsula” in a response to North Korea’s recent missile tests, according to Reuters. Tensions between the U.S. and North Korea have been on high since United States President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un began verbally sparring, both mentioning the possibility of war in public settings.
Donald Trump has repeatedly taken to twitter to address the matter, stating in August that “Military solutions are now fully in place, locked and loaded, should North Korea act unwisely.” In a recent meeting of the Central Committee of Kim Jong Un’s Workers’ Party, the leader reportedly said that North Korea’s nuclear missile arsenal is a “powerful deterrent firmly safeguarding the peace and security in the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia,” according to the New York Times.
The prospect of nuclear war came to a forefront this July, when North Korea launched two separate missile test-launches. The first launch, on July 4th, was the first ballistic missile fired that could potentially hit the U.S., while the second launch, on July 28th, served as a “stern warning.” Experts said the launch “placed US cities in range of potential attack,” according to The Guardian.
In a policy response to the missile launch, the U.S. United Nations Security Council blocked the sale of coal and iron, among other prominent North Korean exports, on August 5th. According to the New York Times, these are “the most punishing sanctions yet against North Korea over its repeated defiance of a ban on testing missiles and nuclear bombs.”
We interviewed residents of Boston and the Greater Boston Area on Massachusetts Avenue about the threat of nuclear war, and they shared a variety of opinions and concerns on the topic.
Ron Van Der Mosel, a Boston resident originally from Germany, said that he feels the threat of nuclear war is real and that this reminds him of “fascist times” in Berlin. Jared Francis also said he feels threatened by the missile launch. “Just the thought of Nuclear War,” Francis said, “freaks me the hell out.” And Grace Grandy, also a Boston resident, concurred that the threat of nuclear war is an issue. “It’s like history repeating itself all over again.”
Other Boston locals weren’t as concerned. Eddie Adanes, originally from the Dominican Republic, said that there “won’t be … no nuclear war” between the two countries. John Neale, shared a similar sentiment. “The idea of war seems so outrageous,” Neale said. “That it’s not possible to get too worried about.”