North Korea has the fifth largest active army in the world and a history of erratic and
aggressive behavior.
That includes this past August, when they threatened to attack the US with nuclear force.
So, how seriously should we take a threat like that?
How powerful is North Korea?
As I said, North Korea has the fifth largest active military in the world, which should
not be taken lightly.
They also have a huge number of armaments -- an estimated 13,000 guns along their border
with South Korea.
If they were to attack South Korea, or any other nearby nation, they could inflict an
enormous amount of damage in a very short period of time.
They could also potentially overwhelm those nations with sheer manpower.
In addition to the 690,000 to 1.1 million active troops North Korea is rumored to have,
they may also have between 4.1 and up to 7.7 million soldiers in reserve.
So, yes.
They are a legitimate threat.
But...
only to the immediate surrounding nations, and only for a short period of time.
North Korea’s air force and navy are extremely outdated and under-used.
According to experts, they often don’t have enough fuel to keep all of their planes operational,
and consequently, a lot of their pilots have little experience actually flying.
They have a large navy, but it is the same problem there.
Outdated technology and not enough fuel.
A prominent response by a better equipped nation, like the United States, would quickly
outdo North Korea’s main forces.
Experts also argue that North Korea would be incapable of sustaining a long term war.
The country is already struggling with food and fuel shortages.
Some even speculate that with or without a war, the current North Korean leadership may
not last.
There are constantly rumors of impending collapse or revolt.
The central government is widely perceived as being extremely corrupt, draconian, and
mismanaged.
And the gap between the people and their leaders is wide.
A situation that often ends in revolt or collapse.
So, yes North Korea is a threat, like a bomb or a gun is a threat.
But, they aren't the great threat that a superpower would be, or even a terrorist group could
be, because North Korea is an isolated nation that does not export harmful ideals; like
Al Qaeda does now, or Soviet Russia did during the Cold War.
This leaves us only one item left to discuss, which is North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.
Do they have the bomb?
No, they do not have the bomb.
They have the materials to MAKE a bomb, but they are currently unable to arm a warhead
with those materials.
So, as of now, they can not launch a nuclear strike.
They can simply talk about it, which isn’t particularly threatening.
To learn about some of the other big players on the international stage, click here to
see how powerful Russia is.
Or click on the other box to find out how powerful China is.
New videos every day.
Please subscribe.