aggressive behavior. That includes this past August, when they threatened to attack the

US with nuclear force. So, how seriously should we take a threat like that? How powerful is

North Korea?

As I said, North Korea has the fifth largest active military in the world, which should

not be taken lightly. They also have a huge number of armaments -- an estimated 13,000

guns along their border with South Korea. If they were to attack South Korea, or any

other nearby nation, they could inflict an enormous amount of damage in a very short

period of time. They could also potentially overwhelm those nations with sheer manpower.

In addition to the 690,000 to 1.1 million active troops North Korea is rumored to have,

they may also have between 4.1 and up to 7.7 million soldiers in reserve. So, yes. They

are a legitimate threat. But... only to the immediate surrounding nations, and only for

a short period of time.

North Korea’s air force and navy are extremely outdated and under-used. According to experts,

they often don’t have enough fuel to keep all of their planes operational, and consequently,

a lot of their pilots have little experience actually flying. They have a large navy, but

it is the same problem there. Outdated technology and not enough fuel. A prominent response

by a better equipped nation, like the United States, would quickly outdo North Korea’s

main forces. Experts also argue that North Korea would be incapable of sustaining a long

term war. The country is already struggling with food and fuel shortages.

Some even speculate that with or without a war, the current North Korean leadership may

not last. There are constantly rumors of impending collapse or revolt. The central government

is widely perceived as being extremely corrupt, draconian, and mismanaged. And the gap between

the people and their leaders is wide. A situation that often ends in revolt or collapse. So,

yes North Korea is a threat, like a bomb or a gun is a threat. But, they aren't the great

threat that a superpower would be, or even a terrorist group could be, because North

Korea is an isolated nation that does not export harmful ideals; like Al Qaeda does

now, or Soviet Russia did during the Cold War.

This leaves us only one item left to discuss, which is North Korea’s nuclear capabilities.

Do they have the bomb?

No, they do not have the bomb. They have the materials to MAKE a bomb, but they are currently

unable to arm a warhead with those materials. So, as of now, they can not launch a nuclear

strike. They can simply talk about it, which isn’t particularly threatening.

To learn about some of the other big players on the international stage, click here to

see how powerful Russia is. Or click on the other box to find out how powerful China is.

New videos every day. Please subscribe.