Since its inception, North Korea has been thought of as a hermit state, isolated from the rest of the world. However, the 2018 Olympics may be a turning point. As of late, North Korea and South Korea have been attempting to improve relations and reunite the Korean Peninsula. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has been stirring the proverbial pot in the international community with the recent nuclear bomb and missile tests.

As we are all aware, President Donald Trump has been responding to the North Korean leader and taking his threats very seriously. Forever a propaganda machine, Kim is working hard in Pyeongchang to show that his country, despite being separated from the rest of the global community, is not only legitimate, but open to negotiations.

The rhetoric around North Korea is fascinating, because quite frankly, the regime should have fallen years ago. Inherited authoritarian governments traditionally fail, and on top of that, the international community has thrown every sanction at this country that it possibly could have. Still, Russia has strengthened its economic ties with the country, and for the first time, the South is looking at the North.

Despite every effort from the global governing community to marginalize North Korea, it is somehow validating itself on the global stage. Even Trump’s comments on North Korea have given the nation a reason to smile. The United States considers North Korea to be a credible threat worth taking seriously. Realistically, that means that the United States believes North Korean technology is strong enough to be concerned about.

The world has decided to take North Korea seriously, but this might not be a good sign for the United States. Validating the North Korean regime means that it’s not going anywhere, and it can only grow stronger.