North Korea Needs 3 Things to Hit the U.S. With a Nuclear Weapon

Every couple of months, there’s a story about North Korea launching some new missile or testing a nuclear bomb. Just on Tuesday, a South Korean official reportedly said the North is now able to mount a nuclear warhead on a missile. The constant barrage of news—along with bluster and threats from North Korea itself—may have you feeling like the Hermit Kingdom could attack the United States at any time.

In reality, North Korea’s ability to destroy a major American city with a nuclear missile relies on much more than than just launching a rocket at a target.

In the video above, TIME answers: Should you be afraid of a North Korean nuke?

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Write to Mathew Katz at matt.katz@time.com.