North Korea Remains Nuclear Threat As Media Dismisses Capabilities

For years North Korea has been at the forefront of nuclear weapon development. While they have had some humorous debacles with tests in the past, there is no denying the country is all-in on development. The media has forgotten the North Koreans, as they focus more daily on Donald Trump this, Donald Trump that. But the country has sat in the shadows playing their own game and remain as big a threat as they have ever been.

While it is true that North Korea tends to embellish a bit, their leader Kim Jong-Un has put all resources he can into nuclear capabilities of the country. They are beginning to find success with it too. The North Koreans are the ones who helped Iranian technology in their ballistic missile attacks on Tel Aviv last month. It may come as a shock to some, but for those paying attention, the North Koreans are a critical threat in the world now.

National security analyst Harry Kazianis says the country has blossomed, and they are not going away anytime soon.

"Their intercontinental ballistic missiles are more powerful than ever...some experts believe they have a dozen or more that could actually hit the United States with a nuclear warhead," he says.

That is not all though. They have developed more deadly warheads and developed tactical nuclear weapons. They also have another thing going: mobility. Their nuclear program is extremely mobile and can be moved on a moment's notice.

Compared that to Iran, which had their facilities in one spot. That makes it harder to hit if a conflict with North Korea ever rose. As mentioned as well, they were the technological foundation behind Iran's attacks that breached Israel's Iron Dome.

But the North Korean threat does not boil down to them attacking the United States. They know that if that were to happen, they would lose that battle. So, the bigger threat lies in where they allocate those resources.

"They are terrified of the United States, that is why they have those nuclear weapons...they are not going to preemptively attack us," says Kazianis. "The biggest threat from North Korea has always been proliferation. They have a penchant for selling any military technology they have to the highest bidder."

That, in turn, creates other problems for the U.S. and its allies, while also fueling their own research.

"It is why they have sold so much tech to the Iranians...and have fueled conflicts in Africa...they have made billions in selling military hardware," Kazianis says.

He says to cut the head off the snake, the U.S. needs to follow the money. That could mean sanctioning banks that deal with North Korea, freezing assets, and more.

But make no mistake, North Korea is as big a threat as it has ever been for the United States. Only time will tell if or when they pursue being a predator.