World War 3 fears reached a fever pitch Saturday after the North Korean foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, made an ominous remark during an address to the UN General Assembly, saying that an attack on the…
World War 3 fears reached a fever pitch Saturday after the North Korean foreign minister, Ri Yong Ho, made an ominous remark during an address to the UN General Assembly, saying that an attack on the United States’ mainland was “inevitable” after Donald Trump personally mocked the leader of the despotic state.
The rhetoric exchanged between the two countries has become increasingly hostile over the last few days, with Trump calling North Korean leader Kim Jong-un “rocket man” on a “suicide mission” in his maiden UN speech and warned that he would “totally destroy” North Korea if the East Asian nation continued to conduct its unprecedented ballistic missile tests over Japan, which have become more frequent over the course of the last month.
Just hours after Trump had made those remarks, the U. S. doubled down on his warnings by flying U. S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers escorted by fighter jets in international airspace east of North Korea, as reported by The Guardian. By doing so, the Pentagon intended to warn North Korea of the range of options available to the United States in case Kim Jong-un continued to conduct ballistic missile tests and move forward with his country’s nuclear program.
“This mission is a demonstration of U. S. resolve and a clear message that the President has many military options to defeat any threat,” Pentagon spokesperson Dana White said following the operation.
But instead of discouraging North Korea, it seems Donald Trump’s speech and subsequent actions have paved the way for unfettered World War 3 fears. Ri Yong Ho warned the UN General Assembly that North Korea is close to realizing its nuclear program and would not hesitate in bombing the United States’ mainland, adding that the reason Kim Jong-un has pursued the nuclear program is to maintain a “balance” of power in the world.
Donald Trump immediately charged back with a warning of his own, once again underlining the fact that he would not hesitate in attacking North Korea if it continued with its aggressive weapons programs.
With hostility and rhetoric between the two countries reaching a crescendo, experts warn that World War 3 could be on the horizon sooner than expected. If either of the countries pushes ahead with an attack, it would be safe to assume that it will irreversibly begin a chain of events where other powers in the world will have to take sides.
Do you think the U. S. and North Korea are both playing with fire — and if yes — do you think World War 3 could escalate as a result of these hostilities?
[Featured Image by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images]
