What would war with North Korea look like?
The Inquiry
BBC
4.6 • 1.7K Ratings
🗓️ 27 July 2017
⏱️ 24 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Alarm about North Korea has spiked. Earlier this month, the North claimed to have successfully test-launched an intercontinental ballistic missile that could hit Alaska. Some experts estimate that North Korea is now 18 to 36 months away from launching a missile able to reach Los Angeles.
President Trump has warned that a "major, major conflict" with North Korea is possible. His closest advisers have said that "the era of strategic patience is over".
So, in this week's Inquiry, we take a look at the two sides' war plans and ask: what would war with North Korea look like?
Producer: Sarah Shebbeare Presenter: Neal Razzell
(image: A combined fire demonstration of the North Korean People's Army celebrating their 85th anniversary on 26 April 2017. Credit: STR/AFP/Getty Images)
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know. |
| 0:04.7 | My name's Linda Davies and I Commission Podcasts for BBC Sounds. |
| 0:08.5 | As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality featuring the most knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices. |
| 0:18.0 | What you may not know is that the BBC makes podcasts about all kinds of things like pop stars, |
| 0:24.6 | poltergeist, cricket, and conspiracy theories and that's just a few examples. |
| 0:29.7 | If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds. |
| 0:36.0 | Welcome to the Inquiry on the BBC World Service. |
| 0:39.0 | Each week we bring you four expert witnesses answering one pressing question from the news. |
| 0:45.0 | Today we start with a quiz. |
| 0:48.0 | What separates North Korea from the United States? |
| 0:54.0 | You might say ideology or the Pacific Ocean. |
| 0:58.0 | But the answer we're looking for is 15 minutes. |
| 1:05.0 | This month North Korean news heralded a missile experts think could hit the U.S. in 15 minutes. |
| 1:07.0 | North Korean news heralded a missile experts think could hit the US in 15 minutes. |
| 1:14.0 | North Korean scientists are now working to fit it with a nuclear weapon. |
| 1:18.4 | President Trump has vowed to stop them. |
| 1:20.6 | They are behaving in a very, very dangerous manner and something will have to be done about it. |
| 1:28.0 | Things are being done. The US military is reviewing how to stop North Korea. |
| 1:33.7 | At home, officials in the state of Hawaii |
| 1:36.2 | have issued public warnings on what to do in the event |
| 1:39.2 | of a nuclear attack. |
| 1:41.1 | One US general has said only self-restraint is preventing war. |
... |
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