'Hawaii commotion’ is not just a happening to overlook

At 8:07 a.m. on Saturday (local time) in Hawaii, residents received emergency messages saying “Ballistic missile threat inbound to Hawaii. Seek immediate shelter. This is not a drill.” The state government confirmed through twitter that this was a false alarm 13 minutes later but it took 38 minutes for Hawaiian residents to receive corrected messages. Hawaii was engulfed with fear for the entire 38 minutes. Residents and tourists stormed out of their houses and hotels and buses stopped. Emergency siren went off in some areas. “I thought that we are all going to die,” said a resident while a state congressman’s entire family prayed in the bathroom.

The alarm turned out to be a false alarm as an employee clicked the wrong button during rotation. The incident itself was just a happening but it could be seen clearly how sensitive Hawaiian residents are about North Korea’s missile threats. The state of Hawaii started air raid drills once a month starting from last month. The U.S. media quoted a state official as saying that the aviation range from North Korea’s launcher to Hawaii is 9,120 kilometers in total, taking less than 30 minutes for a missile to reach Hawaii, and that there will be only 12 minutes to escape after the alarm goes off.

As public sentiment that regards North Korea’s provocation as an actual threat believing that it is no longer possible to sit back is intensified, the Trump administration, which is weighing all options from military to dialogue, will face less options. U.S. President Donald Trump at the moment seems encouraged that his plan to oppress North Korea worked, making the country to engage in a dialogue. However, if North Korea does not show any sign of sincerity over denuclearization during the inter-Korean dialogue and the possible North Korea–U.S. dialogue, the Trump administration will be oppressed against its deadline for making a final decision

In South Korea, the liberal left continuously argued that North Korea’s nuclear development was for self-defense and negotiation. However, as it can be seen from residents of Hawaii, North Korea’s nuclear weapons are regarded as an offensive weapon that causes actual horror to people. There is no one who can sit back when an insane man nearby brings a loaded gun claiming that it is for self-protection. Although the emergency alarm was a false one this time, if opinions over North Korea’s possible nuclear threat signs go crisscross when tensions have heightened to the maximum level, it may lead to responsive military measures, causing armed conflicts. “Thirty-eight minute Hawaii commotion” has aroused the seriousness of the North Korea nuclear crisis.