By: Olivia McCown –
In the 1950s, a cartoon turtle took to the screens and captured the hearts and interests of Americans – young and old. This helmeted animation’s name was Bert and, unlike his light-hearted Disney counterparts, he was on a serious mission – to teach the American public to “duck and cover” in case of atomic attack. Though his methods may be dated, Bert’s message could prove to be useful in the near future.
It’s no secret that relations between the United States and North Korea haven’t been friendly for a long time. At the end of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union divided the Korean peninsula in two halves with two separate forms of government. The northern half adopted a communist government, backed by the USSR, while the south adopted a more western style of government, backed by the U.S. This division, which was originally meant to be temporary, is the foundation of many of the problems on the Korean peninsula.
Today, the tensions between North Korea and the United States are eerily similar to those of the Cold War- more and more missile launches and threats by world leaders make the possibility of nuclear war more imminent every day. Somehow, millions of lives now rest on the ability of a “rocket man” and a “dotard” to make peace.
“I woke up and [I was] scared,” said Ayumi Ishikawa, a 19-year-old college student from Osaka, Japan. “But I didn’t do anything because there wasn’t anything we can do.”
Ishikawa was a foreign exchange student who attended Southeast during the 2015 – 2016 school year. She shares what it is like to live in Japan with North Korea repeatedly testing missiles that end up near or over Japan.
“When the [Japanese] government said ‘be careful,’ we had no idea how to be careful,” said Ishikawa. “The government says it is giving pressure to North Korea, but most people around me think, ‘is it working?’”
Many would argue that it is not. No matter how many sanctions the United Nations Security Council puts on North Korea, or how much pressure they get to stop these threats, it doesn’t seem to stifle their efforts to make The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea) a military power big enough to compete with the United States. Trump famously warned Pyongyang – North Korea’s capital and the home of its leader, Kim Jong Un – that if they didn’t stop threatening the US, there would be dire consequences.
“North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States,” said Trump on Aug. 8, during a meeting from his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey. “They will be met with fire, fury, and frankly power the likes of which this world has never seen before.”
On Sept. 19, Trump spoke at the UN General Assembly in New York for the first time. The president was quick to display his confidence in the military capabilities of the US in front of some of the most influential people in the world.
“The United States is ready, willing and able (to act), but hopefully this will not be necessary,” said Trump. The President described Kim Jong Un as a “rocket man on a suicide mission for himself and his regime,” and threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea. He also called upon other nations to isolate Kim Jong Un until he stops these “hostile” actions.
There were mixed responses to Trump’s speech that day. “The UN is a venue to promote peace,” said California Senator Dianne Feinstein. “Today, the president used it as a stage to threaten war.”
Nebraska Representative Jeff Fortenberry praised the president’s speech. “President Trump’s speech to the UN was clear, strong, and principled.”
But on Sept. 25, tensions escalated as North Korea’s Foreign Minister Ri Yong-ho told reporters that North Korea reserved the right to shoot down US bombers, even when they were not in Korean airspace. The world should “clearly remember” it was the US that first declared war, said Mr. Ri as he was just about to leave the UN after a week of General Assembly meetings. Ri told the Assembly that President Trump’s threats against the country were “making our rocket’s visit to the entire U.S. mainland inevitable all the more.”
He also said the American president had “committed an irreversible mistake,” referring to Trump’s comments to the UN General Assembly. “None other than Trump himself is on a suicide mission,” he added.
During the Cold War, the threat of nuclear destruction seemed imminent. The only thing the American people felt they could do was to try and educate the public on safety procedures by creating the 1951 civil defense social guidance film, “Duck and Cover.” With a catchy song, Bert the Turtle told of the best way to protect yourself in case of nuclear emergencies.
As the tensions eased, Bert the Turtle and his song faded into history. But if world leaders aren’t able to diffuse the current tensions, America may be in need of Bert yet.