US-North Korea confrontation a looming World War three?

Abstract

This research sought to explain and interrogate the possibility of the current United States of America and North Korea’s confrontation degenerating into third World War (WW111). The tense relationship between the two countries have put international peace and security at risk. The situation was execrated by the failure to hold meaningful talks as pervious talks were punctuated by threatening actions from both countries. This standoff has also exposed United Nation particularly the Security Council which should preserve and promote world peace. The study targeted 17 respondents and 9 managed to respond. The population was unique in the sense that they had a deeper understanding of the current stand off between the countries. The views were gathered through in-depth interviews and questionnaire. The respondents comprised of 3 US embassy officials, 2 South Korean embassy officials, 1 Japanese embassy official, 2 academia and one from ministry of foreign affairs. Moreso, documentary reviews were used to complement in depth interviews and questionnaires. The key informants explained the relationship between US and North Korea and the geo-political trends which have influenced the stand-off. The study concluded that the US-North Korea confrontation has the potential to result in a World War if not properly managed. However, the study noted that both US and North Korea are very much aware of the human and economic consequences of going to war. As a result, the two will refrain. Additionally, the researcher discovered that the multiplicity of various countries with different and often conflicting interests such as China, South Korea, Japan and Russia among others is one of the reasons that might delay the normalisation of relations between the US and North Korea.