Shutting down what North Korea wants to send up.

North Korea’s nuclear program is suffocated by the most recent sanctions implanted on the country.

The United Nations have placed new sanctions on North Korea. The United States drafted this resolution targeted at harming North Korea’s nuclear program. North Korea has rejected these sanctions and have made heavier threats towards the United States.

North Korea received these new sanctions September 12 in result of repeatedly violating international law. More specifically, for the three alarming tests of a possible hydrogen bomb. These harsh sanctions cut off one third of North Korea’s oil imports, cut off textile exports and bans all countries from issuing new work permits to overseas North Korean workers.

“They [the sanctions] are necessary in the fact that we have to do something to slow North Korea down,” said Michael Brangers, freshman social studies teacher.

These restrictions will make nuclear developments difficult for North Korea, as well as remove over $800 million in textile exports and an important source of currency for the government, which is overseas workers from North Korea.

“If they have nuclear capabilities and a delivery system of a missile that can reach the United States, with the rhetoric that they’ve engaged in, that’s problematic. We really don’t want someone who’s threatening to blow us up to have the capability to do that,” said Monty Edwards, social studies teacher.

Propaganda is widely used throughout North Korea to promote their nuclear program and some has already been distributed within North Korea directed towards the sanctions. North Korean YouTube channels distribute this propaganda, but since they have recently been shut down, it has been difficult to keep tabs on North Korea’s movements and weapon advances.

“North Korea is fidgeting and near suicidal sometimes, so trying to keep tabs on their programs is vital,” said William Smith, senior. Smith believes these sanctions will not affect North Korea that much, but they are necessary.

Conflict between the two countries originated from the Korean War and has ultimately has not come to an end. “The Korean War never ended, North Korea is upset. They think that South Korea was stolen from them by the U.S. and they’re still mad about it,” said Brangers.

North Korea has been threatening the United States for a while, but the most recent threats have been nuclear. September 19 at a United Nations conference responding to these threats, Trump claimed that the United States will “totally destroy North Korea” if they openly threat his country.

“I think he was using a little bit of hyperbole on that. It goes without saying that we could wipe them off the face of the earth. The negotiations have never worked and I don’t think ratcheting up the rhetoric is going to work what so ever,” said Edwards.

These latest sanctions were made with the goal to harm North Korea’s nuclear program, but it is still unclear if these will have any true effect. Removing a portion of oil imports specifically is supposed to slow down their nuclear program/advancements.

“Obviously what we have been doing isn’t working so we might as well try something different to see if that works,” said Edwards.