"North Korea Threatens Nuclear Attack as U.S. and South Korea Begin Drills" By Lisl Wangermann Period 1

Choe Sang-Hun's article "North Korea Threatens Nuclear Attack as U.S. and South Korea Begin Drills" was published by the New York Times on March 6, 2016. Each year, the United States and South Korea go through joint military exercises that prepare them for a possible invasion from North Korea. This year, however, the stakes are higher than usual because North Korea has recently repeatedly threatened to attack the allies with nuclear weapons. Although some see these as serious threats, many do not believe that North Korea has the technology to launch such an attack, even though they have recently undergone their fourth nuclear test and have launched two satellites. Despite this fear, the United States and South Korea do not seem concerned and have repeatedly warned North Korea not to attempt anything because they will be brutal in their retaliation.

This situation today was caused by the Cold War fifty years ago. At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union took control over North Korea while the United Nations influenced South Korea. Stalin then invaded South Korea, starting the Korean War, which ended in an armistice but no peace treaty. In fact, they are still technically at war. The armistice established a demilitarized zone at the 38th parallel, which stands today. Communist North Korea and capitalist South Korea are both committed to unity, but their ideals are very different, making this difficult. Hopefully, this dangerous situation does not escalate any further.

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/world/asia/north-korea-threatens-nuclear-attack-as-us-and-south-korea-begin-drills.html?hpw&rref=world&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&module=well-region&region=bottom-well&WT.nav=bottom-well&_r=0