What Happens If North Korea Launches a Nuclear Bomb？

Global tensions are escalating each year, and authoritarian states seem to believe they can act with impunity.
Unfortunately, countries like Iran, North Korea, and Russia possess some of the most lethal weapons, raising concerns that the onset of a nuclear war may be imminent.
Spoiler alert from the beginning, but there's nothing to worry about!
So, relax and let's imagine what might happen if North Korea were to launch a nuclear bomb.
Nuclear Bombs and Delivery Systems
North Korea already announced in 2005 that it possesses nuclear weapons and conducted an underground test of a hydrogen bomb in 2017.
What if Kim Jong-un decides to use those bombs?
Of course, the scenario depends on where North Korea launches its missiles and how many it can launch simultaneously.
Potentially, every adversary of North Korea, including the United States, could be in the danger zone.
Let's consider a scenario where the United States territory is under attack.
North Korea has three means of delivering nuclear warheads across the sea.
The "Hwasong-18" missile is the most recently developed, announced in February 2023, with tests conducted in April and July.
Impact
In the event of an attack, the United States may have only 30 minutes or even less to prepare for a nuclear strike.
Such an attack would be catastrophic.
Professor Alex Wellerstein of Stevens Institute of Technology created a website to predict the impact of a nuclear attack, allowing anyone to choose a location and estimate the effects of a specified-yield nuclear explosion.
Let's say a 250-kiloton bomb is dropped on the center of Los Angeles.
Most buildings and structures within a 2.8-kilometer radius from the blast center would be destroyed.
People in this area would suffer not only from radiation and shockwaves but also from fire-related damage.
After such an explosion, the heart of Los Angeles would become a pile of contaminated debris, never to return to its former state.
Beginning
Now, it's late at night.
In a silo deep underground somewhere in North Korea, preparations for the launch of the solid-fuel missile "Hwasong-18" are underway.
It's easier to conceal the preparation of this missile than the launches of the liquid-fueled Hwasong-15 and Hwasong-17.
Surely, Kim Jong-un is somewhere nearby.
This dictator loves to have his photo taken with weapons in the background.
And when he gives the order, the propellant beneath this intercontinental ballistic missile is detonated, launching the missile from the silo.
The first-stage engine ignites at a height of about 15 meters above the ground, and the missile, carrying a nuclear warhead, soars into the night sky.
Boost Stage
The ascending intercontinental ballistic missile is large and vulnerable since it has just begun its acceleration, making it the most attackable target.
However, a decision to intercept cannot be made during this phase.
Perhaps, this might not be the beginning of a nuclear war but merely another military test, as has happened multiple times before.
Consequently, the missile continues its flight without incident, and approximately one minute later, the first stage is separated.
One minute later, the second stage is detached, and around three minutes later, the third stage is separated.
At this point, the U.S. President and the entire leadership of the U.S. military have obtained information alerting them to the possibility of an attack.
However, there is no certainty that it is an attack.
Mid-Course Stage
After the separation of the three rocket engines, the warhead conducts ballistic flight in space towards the U.S. mainland for approximately 30 minutes.
During this time, radars such as the "PAVE PAWS" radar, capable of detecting targets within a radius of 2000 kilometers, are operational in Alaska, Massachusetts, and California.
Additionally, the sea-based X-band radar "SBX-1" is deployed and monitoring the sky.
This radar is affiliated with Adak Island in Alaska but is positioned somewhere in the Pacific.
The three-stage solid-fuel ballistic missile defense interceptor missile "GBI" is also on standby.
This missile can carry the Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle (EKV) to an altitude of 2000 kilometers.
The EKV is designed to intercept North Korea's warhead.
Terminal Stage
The flight time of the missile varies depending on the target.
The approximate arrival times for the missile are 29 minutes to Anchorage, 40 minutes and 30 seconds to New York, and 41 minutes to Washington.
However, since the missile is flying towards Los Angeles, the estimated arrival time is 38 minutes.
The missile has been flying for 30 minutes, dispersing decoys to interfere with interception in space.
However, at this point, the interceptor's EKV flies towards the missile... and misses the target.
The next interception attempt also fails.
Finally, on the third attempt, the interceptor hits the target, and the missile is destroyed, turning into small fragments.