Kim Kardashian vs. Kim Jong-un; one could affect your life more than the other in the next six months.
Several polls were conducted around the Dixie State University campus to find out students’ opinions on the subject of missiles in North Korea.
The first poll was to find out if students had any idea what was going on in North Korea. The second was to find out if students thought North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, was going to actually deploy a missile to the U.S.
Out of the 150 DSU students polled, a little more than half said they had somewhat of an idea about what is going on in North Korea. Even fewer actually knew who Kim Jong-un was.
Another 150 students were polled, and 58 said the likelihood of North Korea actually launching missiles was a definite “no,” 38 said it was “not likely,” 14 students said “very likely,” and 10 had no opinion on the matter.
North Korea’s leaders continue to dance around the lines of war by speaking of conducting more missile tests.
“I think it is all bark and no bite, and if he did for some reason, I don’t necessarily think we would retaliate like some people think,” said Todd Walker, a freshman biology major from St. George. “It would set up a chain of events that would be too catastrophic.”
He said he thinks the United States has power over North Korea without having to drop any nukes or major weapons. He said he doesn’t think Kim Jong-un will detonate a missile because he doesn’t have any support from his allies.
“I think [the U.S.] needs to take the right measures,” Walker said. “You can’t just ignore them, or that will totally piss them off. I think what they are doing is fine. But at the same time, flying two stealth bombers over on a routine route may not be the best action either.”
The United States has set up a missile defense system in Guam in case North Korea decides to detonate a missile. This U.S. missile can target the Musudan missiles and will blow up the missile in the upper atmosphere before it can even reach ground.
The U.S. military has also sent out extra ships near South Korea to ensure the capabilities in Guam.
“I think the U.S. is handling this fine,” said Jace Wachstetter, a junior communication major from Corpus Christi, Texas. “But I think that there is no reason to completely blow it out of proportions, but it is good to be prepared because you never know.”
