After Pyongyang has conducted its sixth nuclear test and North Korean missiles continue to fly over Japanese territory and territorial waters, tensions over North Korea have reached a fever pitch. Analysts and commentators fear that the exchange of hostile rhetoric between Kim Jong–un and US President Donald Trump may soon get out of control. Just days after Trump threatened in his UN General Assembly speech that the United States might “totally destroy” North Korea, on September 23 Pyongyang’s Foreign Minister replied in kind. During his speech at the UN he declared that it was now “inevitable” that North Korea would launch missiles at the US mainland, announcing a “hydrogen bomb” test in the Pacific Ocean and accusing America of “declaring war” on his country. Could this really be a precursor to military conflict? Which strategies and objectives, if any, are driving Kim Jong–un’s behavior? How is China, Pyongyang’s main ally, responding? And how are North Korea’s regional “enemies”, Japan and South Korea, reacting to the threats? (Image credit: LaPresse)
