Could North Korea take Drastic Measures?

North Korea has warned that it will consider any increase in global sanctions an act of war and will respond will "extreme" measures, according to Al Jazeera online. This threat comes at a time when North Korea has been testing both nuclear devices and long range missiles. The combination of the two have pushed Obama to call North Korea a "grave threat." It's first nuclear test came in October of 2006, but was relatively small (for a nuclear weapon), and had many analysts claiming they were still far off. Last month North Korea completed their second nuclear test, this one closer to the size of the atoms bombs that decimated Nagasaki and Hiroshima, according to Russian officials. This second test came about two months after the test of a long range missile that the North Korean government claimed was intended to test a device for launching satellites.

All of this comes as North Korea faces pressure to release the two US journalists who snuck into the country to do illegal reporting. They have been sentenced to 12 years of hard labor in North Korea. In addition, the rumor mill is turning with questions of who will replace Kim Jong-ilKim Jong-il when it comes time for him to step down. Apparently his oldest son shamed him when he was caught on vacation in Japan and will be skipped over when it comes time to pass the torch. There have been rumors that Kim's youngest son may step up to fill the role, but he is still very young, having been born in 1983 or 84 and there is no known public image of him as an adult. Other possibilities include Kim's son-in-law, or a panel of leaders from the current government and military that would rule together.

In any case, this is a delicate time for North Korea as their aging leader tries to fend off further exile from the international community, but still do the research he feels his country is entitled to. For now, we know that North Korea has caught the attention of Barack ObamaBarack Obama and the international community. Obama has said that he will vigorously pursue and end to the countries nuclear program and he has the support of most of the world in doing so.