Technological progression of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s ballistic missle program is accelerting day by day. The West has tremednously underestimated the technological capability of the embattled country. Each missile test is demonstrating a significant step forward in the refinement of weapons development. Just a few days ago antoher missile was tested crashing into the Sea of Japan. The missile was launched from Mupyong-ni, near North Korea’s border with China, shows the missile flew about 45 minutes, going 3,700 kilometers (2,300 miles) high and for a distance of 1,000 kilometers (621 miles).

Experts on ballistic technology are saying that the DPRK’s claim that the missile can reach the entirety of the US mainland may be credible. The DPRK has claimed as much and has threatened a ‘merciless blow’ to any attack on its national sovereignty. Despite the arrogant dismissals of many pundits, it seems very true that the DPRK is capable of carrying out a nuclear strike on the US.

As these developments have been made, the options available to the US have begun to shrink. A full-scale military invasion has ceased to be an option. Now with the ability to strike the US mainland, the deterrent to invasion is greater than ever before. Traditionally sanctions and embargoes have been used to try and weaken the country economically. Even these are failing to get the job done, and it seems as though others are getting tired of enforcing them. China has been accused of violating these measures and conducting ‘illegal’ trade. Sanctions are failing as it has now been revealed that the DPRK economy is currently booming.

With this desperation setting in, the imperialist power has resorted to new measures to try and deal with DPRK resistance to them. The new tactic seems to be a re-emphasis of pressuring Russia and China to ‘encourage’ the DPRK into surrendering its missile and nuclear programs. To this end, the US has begun accusing Russia of assisting their economic development. Russian exports to North Korea essentially doubled in the first five months of 2017, according to new data. The narrative presented by the US media has been that China and Russia are responsible to ‘reigning in’ the DPRK.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said on Sunday that, “China must decide whether it is finally willing to take this vital step. The time for talk is over.”

China is under no such obligation to pressure the DPRK into surrendering its nuclear deterrent against US invasion. While China and the DPRK have their differences, they at least respect their right to self-determination. The US is out of any rational options to stop the DPRK’s defence programs. Sanctions don’t work, and any attempt at military conflict will result in a nuclear war. The US has no real option left to them but to try and use others to do their dirty work for them.

This shows that a definite threshold has been reached that allows the DPRK to truly stand up for itself in a very real and dangerous way.