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If a nuclear warhead fell on Busan in 18 minutes

Published: 29 Oct. 2025, 00:02

Ahn Hai-ri

The author is an editorial writer at the JoongAng Ilbo.

“I felt chest pains while watching it.”

That comment on a blog made me smile wryly after finishing Netflix’s new film “House of Dynamite” last weekend, which had me holding my breath and refusing to blink for two hours. It was comforting to know I wasn’t the only one.

True to director Kathryn Bigelow’s style, the film builds unbearable tension without a single gunshot. Its mix of documentary realism and psychological precision has left even American critics unsettled. The New York Times called it “scarier than horror,” and with good reason. The film feels disturbingly real — a scenario that could unfold at any moment. With Pyongyang mentioned several times, Korean viewers may find it especially hard to detach.

A military parade celebrating the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Workers’ Party was held at Kim Il Sung Square in Pyongyang on Oct. 10. The photo shows the new Hwasong-20 intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). [KOREAN CENTRAL TELEVISION SCREEN CAPTURE]

In short, the film begins the moment the U.S. Strategic Command in Nebraska detects an unidentified ballistic missile launched somewhere over the Pacific. From that instant, the story rewinds and replays three times, each from a different perspective of the 18 minutes before the nuclear warhead strikes Chicago.

The U.S. president, who opened the day peacefully by playing basketball with young girls, must suddenly make the gravest decision imaginable — whether to retaliate. Should he hold back in the hope of preserving diplomatic trust, even as Chicago burns and 10 million lives are lost? Or should he authorize a counterstrike that could trigger global nuclear war? Alone in the White House Situation Room, he studies a slim manual that reads like a restaurant menu, forced to decide humanity’s fate in silence.

Worse still, no one can confirm who fired the missile. Russia denies involvement, and the United States only knows that North Korea is behaving strangely near the demilitarized zone, and that it's unclear whether China’s AI launch systems could have malfunctioned. With communications down and the minutes ticking away, the president must act on incomplete information, showing just how easily a small miscalculation could destroy the planet.

What makes the story even more chilling is that no one is portrayed as reckless or incompetent. Within three minutes of the alert, senior officials are assembled in a video conference. As the nation’s alert level escalates from DEFCON 4 to DEFCON 1, everyone follows long-rehearsed protocols without panic. Yet catastrophe is unavoidable. The $50 billion missile defense system that was supposed to guarantee interception proves no more reliable than “hitting a bullet with another bullet.” The assumption that North Korea lacked viable ballistic missiles collapses as it becomes clear the country’s submarine technology has advanced faster than expected. By the time the truth sinks in, it is far too late.

The cast of Netflix's "A House of Dynamite" attend a special screening at The Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood on Oct. 9. [EPA/YONHAP]

Watching it, I couldn’t stop wondering, “What if this were Korea?” If an unidentified nuclear missile were headed toward Busan with only 10 minutes to spare, how would the Lee Jae Myung administration respond? If even the United States, with decades of drills and sophisticated defenses, could not prevent such a strike, Korea would be far more vulnerable. And if our government struggles to manage even long-term domestic issues — like what's currently happening with the housing policy — how could it manage an instant national emergency?

As U.S. President Donald Trump visits Busan today, repeatedly describing North Korea as a “nuclear power” while seeking another meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, the line between fiction and reality feels alarmingly thin. Watching Bigelow’s film, one realizes that the scariest part is not the explosion — it’s the recognition that we might not be ready when those 18 minutes begin.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.