# Why isn't Korean missiles over Japan considered a major crisis? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [August 31, 2017, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-korean-missiles-over-japan-considered-a-major-crisis/795187 "2017-08-31T18:43:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-korean-missiles-over-japan-considered-a-major-crisis/795187/41 "2017-09-03T02:12:12Z")
Well it’s not like North Korea might have a missile ready nuclear weapon. [Oh, wait a minute.](http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-41138834) ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-korean-missiles-over-japan-considered-a-major-crisis/795187/42 "2017-09-03T02:46:34Z")
> [@Pantastic](#): > > No, the war ended, it’s over and done with, that’s what the armistace did, as well as the soldiers not actually shooting anymore. Technically no one in the US government thinks we could legitimately restart hostilities without any additional cause, and technically no one thinks that the president could legally reopen hostilities without either an immediate threat, or Congressional authorization. Hell, technically the US was never in a war because Congress never issued anything calling itself a declaration of war. > > The idea that you get to pick and choose really specific wordings to count as the start and end of the war is just silly, and bears no relations to the way people and countries with actual power act in the situation. > [@XT](#): > > Want to show a cite demonstrating these odd assertions? And I want to point out the irony of claiming that because Congress did or didn’t declare war that means…something. And that this means something to North Korea is, really, off the charts. I about fell out of my chair reading your post it’s so silly. I’m not sure I’m seeing the silliness. The armistice DID end the Korean War. That’s why in wikipedia it says 1950-1953, not 1950-ongoing :). In practical terms whether their was a formal treaty or not is sorta immaterial after over a half century. The U.S. also never signed a formal peace treaty with the current Florida Seminole, who just kinda gritted out the end of the the Third Seminole War and went underground until the momentum to forcibly remove them faded away. But somehow I don’t think the U.S. government is going to suddenly swoop down on them because they are still technically in a state of war ;). ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-korean-missiles-over-japan-considered-a-major-crisis/795187/43 "2017-09-03T05:17:19Z")
Apparently North Korea detonated another nuclear bomb underground tonight. Bigger the the last one, I think. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-korean-missiles-over-japan-considered-a-major-crisis/795187/44 "2017-09-03T05:28:07Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I’m not sure I’m seeing the silliness. The armistice DID end the Korean War. That’s why in wikipedia it says 1950-1953, not 1950-ongoing :). In practical terms whether their was a formal treaty or not is sorta immaterial after over a half century. > > The U.S. also never signed a formal peace treaty with the current Florida Seminole, who just kinda gritted out the end of the the Third Seminole War and went underground until the momentum to forcibly remove them faded away. But somehow I don’t think the U.S. government is going to suddenly swoop down on them because they are still technically in a state of war ;). The silliness, at least as far as I’m seeing it, is the assumption that the North Koreans care whether the US Congress did or didn’t declare war, whether WE think it’s a war or not, and whether it’s over. It’s a bit different than the example you give in a couple of key respects when viewed from that perspective…well, and the fact that North Korea is still a viable (well, sort of) nation state with the ability to launch war on it’s neighbors, while last time I checked this isn’t the case with the Florida Seminole people. I could be wrong there…perhaps they are developing nuclear tipped ICBMs and have 10’s of thousands of artillery pieces aimed at Orlando. 😉 I don’t think that the US government is going to suddenly swoop in attack North Korea either, btw (well, with Trump one never knows), but the war is only a done deal in the past from the US (and I guess the other UN combatants) perspective…I don’t think that the North Koreans really agree that it’s been over and done since '53. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-korean-missiles-over-japan-considered-a-major-crisis/795187/45 "2017-09-03T06:26:15Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Apparently North Korea detonated another nuclear bomb underground tonight. Bigger the the last one, I think. Doesn’t surprise me; I was expecting one on the 4th of July, & Trump’s birthday before that. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 6:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-korean-missiles-over-japan-considered-a-major-crisis/795187/46 "2017-09-03T06:33:05Z")
Some plausible people are claiming that it was ~1 MT yield hydrogen bomb. This shortly after they claimed to have one that was miniaturized and ready to mount onto their missiles. [Press conference starting now](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2__7tqMaLY) ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 7:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-korean-missiles-over-japan-considered-a-major-crisis/795187/47 "2017-09-03T07:21:14Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Some plausible people are claiming that it was ~1 MT yield hydrogen bomb. This shortly after they claimed to have one that was miniaturized and ready to mount onto their missiles. I might not be able to access the whole press conference video - a warhead capable of 1 megaton but deliberately scaled down to detonate with less yield, or an actual 1-megaton test? (if the latter, probably by far the most powerful underground nuclear test in history.) ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-korean-missiles-over-japan-considered-a-major-crisis/795187/48 "2017-09-03T07:24:59Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > I might not be able to access the whole press conference video - a warhead capable of 1 megaton but deliberately scaled down to detonate with less yield, or an actual 1-megaton test? (if the latter, probably by far the most powerful underground nuclear test in history.) North Korea didn’t make a specific claim about yield. What I’ve read is just people guessing based off the 6.3 magnitude quake detected (and they’re guessing it’s in the neighborhood of a 1 MT actual detonation). FWIW, [USA had an almost-5-MT underground test once](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pExXC_kPUQQ). ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 7:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-korean-missiles-over-japan-considered-a-major-crisis/795187/49 "2017-09-03T07:28:26Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > North Korea didn’t make a specific claim about yield. What I’ve read is just people guessing based off the 6.3 magnitude quake detected (and they’re guessing it’s in the neighborhood of a 1 MT actual detonation). FWIW, [USA had an almost-5-MT underground test once](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pExXC_kPUQQ). OK, thanks. Some other sources are saying it was around 50-100 kilotons. I think even the United States’ and Russia’s ICBMs don’t use warheads more powerful than 300-500 kilotons, preferring multiple small warheads over one big one. ---
**Author:** ![HurricaneDitka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/96bed5/32.png) [@HurricaneDitka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HurricaneDitka)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2017, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-korean-missiles-over-japan-considered-a-major-crisis/795187/50 "2017-09-03T07:30:45Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > OK, thanks. Some other sources are saying it was around 50-100 kilotons. I think even the United States’ and Russia’s ICBMs don’t use warheads more powerful than 300-500 kilotons, preferring multiple small warheads over one big one. Yes, our current arsenal is generally smaller warheads with multiple warheads per missile. Also, just to be perfectly clear, I don’t have any particular expertise in the field and I don’t know if the explosion was 50 kilotons or 1 megaton. Those other sources might be correct. I’m just relaying what I’ve heard from some associates and read from some internet sources. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isnt-korean-missiles-over-japan-considered-a-major-crisis/795187.md?page=2)