After North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Il died in 2011, his son, Kim Jong-Un became the leader of the country. Like his father, Un has continued the country’s testing of nuclear weapons with his first occurring on Feb. 11.

The nuclear test was in retaliation of the Chinese who have been urging North Korea to not risk confrontation by conducting another test, according to the New York Times.

The blast could be felt by surrounding countries who were the first to report the nuclear test before the state news agency in North Korea confirmed the reports.

North Korea used a smaller nuclear device that was more powerful and did not have any negative impact on the environment, according to the New York Times.

The fear of numerous countries around the world is that North Korea actually becomes capable of constructing a nuclear weapon that works. If they accomplish this, North Korea can potentially sell these weapons to countries like Iran or even to terrorist groups.

A North Korea capable of nuclear warfare is very dangerous for the safety of the world, especially the United States.

Threats have come from North Korea against the U.S. in the past, and if they can build a nuclear weapon that can cross the Pacific Ocean, it could potentially hit the West Coast.

Another target for North Korea would be their neighbors South Korea.

At a United Nations Conference for Disarmament, North Korea threatened to “destroy” South Korea, according to The Guardian.

The Obama administration has said that it will take additional action against North Korea after the recent nuclear test, but there are not very many ways it can do that. The only way to truly hurt North Korea is through China.

For years, China has propped up North Korea through supplying them with oil and other aid. If China was to cut them off, North Korea would not have anything to support the country.

The only caveat is that China will most likely not cut off North Korea because Chinese leaders fear that North Korea will descend into chaos without its support.

With China’s next president, Xi Jinping the current leader of the Communist Party, this could change because it would begin to change the strained relationship between China and the U.S.

China may be the last resort to cripple North Korea, and potentially stop them from creating an operational nuclear weapon.

If they do not, the United States may feel the need accelerate a ballistic missile defense program with American allies in the region, something that China will not appreciate, according to the New York Times.

A fully nuclear North Korea is a danger to the world, not only because of the threat it poses to the globe, but also because their actions cannot be predicted.