Do you think North Korea is a threat to the United States? It’s a hot topic right now, so I decided to ask around Elder to see what the students think.

The United States is witnessing an escalating situation with North Korea. With continuing threats of nuclear weapons, President Trump and his staff have been on high alert.

If you don’t happen to know, North Korea currently lead by 33 year-old supreme leader Kim Jong Un. As a dictator, he has used execution to promote his power.

After increased tensions, Trump threatened to “totally destroy” North Korea if the US is forced to defend itself or an ally; Kim responded with a statement on North Korean television, saying Trump will “pay dearly,” and “I will surely and definitely tame the mentally deranged US dotard with fire.” President Trump has controversially labeled Kim as “Rocket Man.”

Some guys I talked to had legitimate opinions on North Korea, but others had some strong opinions on supreme leader Kim Jong Un. The following are some interesting quotes I heard from students:

“No, here’s how it works: they shoot missile, we blow it out of the air, everything in their country bombed, game over.”

“North Korea is an economic threat, they don’t need to attack us to harm us. Attacking China or Japan would cripple our economy.”

“Yes, it’s a serious threat. The original Rocket Man, Elton John, was pretty damn serious, so the second Rocket Man must be even more serious.”

“No, because the rocket man’s toys can’t reach Cincy so I’m not worried about it.”

“No, he’s just a little boy hoping to make us mad so we fire on them, then use their alliances to bring us into a war.”

“Yes, if they continue to test the missiles successfully, then they’ll eventually use the missiles because of how deadly they are.”

“Kim has a weird haircut and he’s fat.”

“No, because he’s like 5 foot nothing.”

“No, he’s soft.”

“No, I’m not afraid of them.”

“As long as Twitter exists, the threat of North Korea will exist.”

“Let them have California, what the hell do I care I’m in Cincinnati.”

It’s interesting to see what a bunch of high school kids think about foreign affairs when asked. Clearly Elder students have some strong opinions on North Korea and its recent actions. Be sure to watch the news closely as this conflict continues to evolve.