When we think of North Korea, what do we think of? Political unrest? Dictatorship? But have we ever thought of them as a nuclear threat? Kim Jong Un,  President of North Korea and the son of the late Kim Jong-Il, has made nuclear missile threats against the United States. North Korea has also been testing drones and nuclear weapons in desolate parts of the country.

In recent interviews, the White House says that they are prepared for a nuclear attack from North Korea, but are they doing anything to stop it? If a nuclear attack occurs in a large city, it could kill millions of people. The damage done by a nuclear weapons could wipe out a city such as Washington D.C., and even  areas around it. The effects of radiation on Americans could cause leukemia, much like after the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in Japan during World War II. So is the United States taking enough action to stop this type of attack, when the effects could be disastrous?

We know that there are a lot of things that the U.S. government can’t tell us. Living on the West Coast, we are substantially closer to North Korea than those on the East Coast. It is very concerning because if North Korea planned an attack on our country, the closest place to attack would be somewhere on the West Coast, maybe targeting a large city like Seattle, Los Angeles or even Portland.

When another country is threatening to wipe out one of the largest cities in America, why is the U.S. not letting us know that it is ensuring our security? The North Korean government has also made direct threats to launch a missile towards an American city. China and North Korea have traded back and forth for years, and that is how North Korea is primarily funded and how it receives its resources. If the U.S. were to disrupt that trade, the Chinese government might become frustrated; because of this the U.S. government has not tried to disrupt this trade, according to CNN. Discontinuing the trade between our country and China could present major problems. If the U.S. was to disrupt North Korea, there could be repercussions from China: the huge amount of imports we receive from them would be lost and our relationship with this trade partner will be compromised.

The U.S. has taken some action against these direct threats by moving large Navy vessels towards the North Korean shore, but are we ready for a possible attack on U.S. soil? South Korea has come up with plans for citizens to evacuate into shelters if there are any signs of attack. The U.S. needs to start warning Americans for this kind of attack. The government needs to take more action, because if they have a plan for an attack on the U.S. soil, more lives can be saved.

North Korea has released multiple disturbing propaganda videos online of nuclear missiles being launched into the U.S. and New York City and Washington D.C. in flames. While all of the burning and explosions are going on, the video is set to the song of Michael Jackson’s “We Are the World.”  These are direct threats. I believe the U.S. is not taking enough action against those threats. Even though we are not sure if North Korea has mass nuclear capabilities, it is still a scary situation for Americans. It is especially worrisome for our allies in South Korea, because of how close they are to North Korea; they would be the first target.

New York City is 6,805 miles away from North Korea and a nuclear missile can be launched from anywhere in the world. If a nuclear missile were dropped in Portland, the effects would wipe out the population from southern Washington down to Eugene. The emotional damage done to citizens who are not killed would leave many scars, such as post-traumatic stress, not to mention the potential cancers from nuclear radiation. People would be scared to leave their homes, because they could possibly never return.

Our country would be a mess; the effects would last for generations to come. The government has taken some steps to warn North Korea, such as dropping fake nuclear bombs. The U.S. needs to send the message that the threats need to stop or we will take action.

The most important thing is that the U.S. needs to be prepared. They need to be prepared to help affected people, because the most important part of all is keeping everyone safe.