Alaskans are surprisingly unbothered about being in range of North Korean missiles

Alaska resident.
(Image credit: Andrew Burton/Getty Images)

A recent North Korean missile launch proved that Kim Jong Un likely has the ability to hit Alaska if he so chooses. But while being in range of a nuclear weapon — and a dictator who threatens to use it — would scare most reasonably-minded Americans, Alaskans remain characteristically unfazed, The New York Times reports.

"I've lived a good life, so if something happens, it happens," Gary Melven, 68, told the Times. A Vietnam War veteran, Melven recalled similar Cold War nuclear attack anxieties when he was a boy in Anchorage and added that he wasn't afraid then, either: "I was more interested in riding my bike."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.