North Korea
Description
Affiliated Characters
Event Involvements
Events with structured involvement data
North Korea is hammered by Leo as Taepodong-firing rogue state threatening Alaska, justifying NMD; Marbury downplays via failure, framing it as overhyped in treaty/proliferation context.
Via Leo's threat invocation and Marbury's dismissal
Portrayed as existential aggressor challenging U.S. defenses
Catalyzes U.S. shield policy urgency
Leo hammers North Korea as rogue missile aggressor via Taepodong launch, positioning it as casus belli for NMD to shield against modifiable threats, overriding Marbury's failure dismissal.
Referenced as provocative threat actor
Antagonist to U.S. security apparatus
Catalyzes U.S. defense spending urgency
North Korea's Taepodong legacy propels Leo's Alaska threat rationale, its rogue launch crystallized in the debate Leo punctuates with Yorktown—embodying the NMD imperative Marbury downplays.
Via missile threat referenced in argument
Positioned as existential adversary challenging US defenses
Catalyzes US shield push amid White House policy wars
North Korea invoked in Josh's sardonic quip as quintessential rogue threat, crystallizing missile shield debate—$60B bribe vs. defense—while underscoring staff cynicism toward hawkish spending amid failed test fallout.
As symbolic adversary in sarcastic policy retort
External menace justifying (or mocking) U.S. defenses
Amplifies NMD rationale amid transatlantic frays.
North Korea is invoked as the suspected external adversary whose hypothetical incoming launch framed the silo crew's alarm; its role is to personify geopolitical threat and justify heightened readiness.
Referenced as the presumed source of the incoming track in the crew transcripts that Will cites.
Positioned as the external antagonist whose perceived capability imposes defensive urgency on U.S. systems.
Its invocation demonstrates how adversary reputations elevate the chance of catastrophic misreading, pressuring institutions to respond quickly—sometimes too quickly.
Not directly characterized; functions mainly as an external variable that conditions U.S. defensive behavior.
Related Events
Events mentioning this organization
Late at night in Toby's office, amid the fallout from a failed missile defense test, Toby fiercely advocates redirecting $60 billion from the beleaguered system …
In the reception hall, Leo launches a fierce defense of the U.S. missile shield against Lord Marbury's multifaceted critique—citing North Korea's Taepodong threat, ABM treaty …
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Leo storms into the Situation Room with sardonic gallows humor masking his dread, grilling Nancy on the U.S.S. Portland's unannounced radio silence in the Yellow …
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Albie recounts harrowing historical submarine disasters—USS Glomar's failed recovery, Gudgeon's Soviet entrapment, and others—to caution Bartlet against aggressive action near North Korea, risking alliances. Frustrated, …
In the tense aftermath of Josh's campaign interruption and Bartlet's raw admission of presidential exhaustion, the President utters a single word: 'Leo.' His Chief of …
In the Oval Office, veteran diplomat Albie Duncan recounts harrowing histories of submarine disasters near North Korea to urge caution against hasty action, but an …
As Bartlet overrides Albie's cautions and mobilizes rescue efforts en route to the Situation Room, satellite communication suddenly restores contact with the U.S.S. Portland (Whiskey …
In a rapid-fire Situation Room quicksheet Leo corrals terse intelligence: the Dow is down 260 points, North Korea may probe the DMZ in reaction to …