The feud between South and North Korea has been ongoing for quite a long time. Technically they are still currently at war; they signed an armistice in 1953, not a treaty. It seems that 2017 holds significant affairs for both countries.

North Korea conducted a few nuclear weapons tests last year that shook up countries worldwide. Kim Jong Un, the leader of North Korea, is planning a push for activating their nuclear weapons program in 2017. He plans to take advantage of the shift in leadership in both the United States and South Korea. Thae Yong-Ho, who recently escaped from his position as the deputy ambassador of North Korea, said, “With South Korea holding presidential elections and the US undergoing an administration transition, the North sees 2017 as the prime time for nuclear development. That’s based on a calculation that the US and South Korea will not be able to take physical, military measures because they are tied up with domestic politics.”

As for South Korea, they have sped up their creation of a “decapitation unit”, as some call it. According to a South Korea Defense Ministry official, the purpose of this brigade is to specifically target North Korea’s “wartime command”, including their leader Kim Jong Un. This unit will only be activated in the “event of war”, says the official. Plans for this unit were set to be completed by 2019 but were changed to this year. “The move comes after a series of provocations by Pyongyang (North Korea’s capital), including broadcasting images of Kim leading a combat drill targeting the South Korea’s presidential residence, the Blue House,” mentions a CNN article.

It is a signal for North Korea: the South will not give up easily. We will have to wait and see what will become of these two countries this year.