The US has sent deadly B1 bombers to South Korea to answer any threat from the regime of Kim Jong-un. The launch of what is reckoned to be an ICBM was supervised by Kim himself late at night July 28. Kim said this launch is a "stern warning" to the US and it is now reckoned the North has the capability to hit the continental United States.
Kim's regime will have made note of the US bombers and will obviously see their deployment as a ramping up of the already tense situation. Some say Kim is wanting the US to recognise his regime as a nuclear power as in the past he has conducted nuclear tests being recorded high on the Richter scale.
China North Korea's sponsor has said the actions of its Communist neighbour are of serious concern and will no doubt be communicating its displeasure to Kim.
THAAD missile system
The US has deployed the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense THAAD anti-missile system to Seoul to protect South Korea from incoming Northern missile attacks. But it has been said the system may not be able to cope with any incoming missile like the one just launched. A US battle group is still out at sea off the Korean coast and this was deployed in answer to nuclear and missile tests launched by the North earlier.
Both Trump and Kim are gamblers and this makes for a dangerous game of brinksmanship between the two of them.
Trump must be under a lot of pressure at home and now to add to his worries another missile launch from North Korea.
The South Koreans and the US are not the only nations to be worried about the antics of Pyongyang, Japan is too. Shinzo Abe current Japanese Prime Minister is keen to see Japan take care of itself militarily and it may have to with the North firing missiles that splash down not far from the Japanese mainland as happened last Friday.
Japan has powerful armed forces but is still restricted by the WWII Constitution. Nonetheless, Japan could perhaps take some offensive action along with the Americans and South Koreans if the need arose.
Boris Johnson the UK Foreign Minister meanwhile has indicated Britain stands ready to help the US should conflict come. Whether this support would be through direct military assistance or through other means such as moral support is unclear.
Destructive war
Kim knows what happened to Iraq and Libya who did not have nuclear weapons of their own. He's maybe saying to the world and the US in particular "Don't attack me because I have the means to hit back hard". Some say Kim is a mad man but the north korean leader may be a lot shrewder than we think.
He knows any conflict would most likely be the end of his regime so he might not want war either. With ICBMs and nuclear warheads, he feels the US may think twice before initiating hostilities. The first Korean war was destructive and could have led to WWIII and if conflict breaks out again this could lead to similar horrifying danger.
