South and North Korea split in 1945, after Japan surrendered to the Allies at the end of World War II. The US gained control of the South, and the Soviet controlled the North. This started the tension between the two countries that continues to this day. Jump to 1953, the Korean war; A war that took millions of North and South Korean lives, some American lives and also a few Chinese lives. This war was a war over land and over ideology. The United States was scared of them becoming a communist government. By the end of the war, the US had decimated North Korea.
History
This set up the stage for modern day interactions. North Korea has been threatening attacks on us for years. They have declared war on us numerous times, and they have even tested missiles to show that they’re ready for anything. Perhaps a precedent was set by Obama in 2015 through the Iran nuclear deal. We paid Iran an undisclosed amount of money, presumably a lot, for them to slow down nuclear development. If North Korea saw this, why wouldn’t they keep threatening with nuclear bombs hoping for a great amount of money from us? We forced North Korea into a state that wasn’t ideal for them. Could they be threatening us hoping for money, or is it just revenge?
American Studies 47 5
"We went over there and fought the war and eventually burned down every town in North Korea anyway, some way or another, and some in South Korea, too." - General Curtis Lemay 25 years later on the Korean war.
North Korea's Nuclear Development has accelerated in the last few years, with the bombs getting bigger every time.
Modern Interactions
