On this day in 1950, 75,000 Russian-backed North Korean troops stormed into the western-backed South Korea – marking the beginning of the Korean War.
What followed was three years of complete destruction. China and the Soviet Union teamed up with North Korea while the bulk of the western world fought with the South.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers were killed – though the exact number is not known – and 2.5 million civilians were either killed or wounded during the barbarous conflict.
The war came to an end in 1953 – with both countries horrendously scarred by the war, physically and also in relation to their economies and infrastructure.
Now – 67 years to the day when it all began, experts believe North Korea could begin yet another war by launching a long-range missile.
Following the tragic death of 22-year-old American student, Otto Warmbier, who died after falling into a coma in the rogue state – U.S. officials are blaming North Korea, including President Donald Trump who issued a statement condemning the nation as a ‘brutal regime’.
In the aftermath of the claims Kim allegedly stated he would ‘mercilessly annihilate’ the U.S.
Rumour has it, Kim Jong-un is feeling particularly wrathful after it was reported that three of his soldiers defected to the south in the past week.
As well as all of this – Japanese troops are reportedly situated just off the border between South and North Korea, and Russian troops from all branches of the military are waiting, heavily armed, on the border.
Could today be the day?
Back in April, John Delury, an associate professor at the Yonsei University Graduate School of International Studies in Seoul, told CNN:
With these important dates on the North Korean state calendar, they can dial them up and dial them down as they want to.
As well as John Delury, a lecturer on North Korean studies, Jean Lee, told CNN that she believes the nation will carry out a test at some point soon.
She explained:
I think it’s safe to say that they will conduct another nuclear test at some point but they do calibrate the timing very carefully and are really taking a number of factors into consideration.
With war seemingly just a breath away, it appears that it’s only a matter of time before something wicked this way comes.
