The sheer monetary cost and the conflicts that the U.S is already engaged in may serve to discourage the U.S from helping West Korea. .
In addition, aiding the recovery process of natural disasters is also expensive because of the enormous amount of people sent to the affected country. As an example, in the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the U.S government "sent 20,000 troops, 140 aircraft and at least 20 ships in support of Operation Tomodachi," which was the name given to the U.S's plan to rebuild Japan (Ruch). These professionals were by no means safe and secure. At the time of the earthquake and tsunami, there were several level 7 nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant. Radiation leaked from the power plants and proved hazardous to the number of workers sent from the U.S (Saleh). Similarly the 1989 Bangladesh tornado destroyed much of Bangladesh and made conditions dangerous for rescue workers. Because of the unsanitary conditions, diseases such as cholera spread rampantly and infected many people (Berke). The rescue workers were at constant risk of becoming infected with this disease as they were in extremely close proximity with many of the Bangladesh people.
However, on the other hand, there are also many advantages when the United States assists foreign countries after a natural disaster. For instance, when the U.S offers aid to a devastated foreign country, it also serves to protect its own citizens from harm and improve national security against natural disasters. In the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, the aftereffects were far-reaching. The breaking of the nuclear reactors in Fukushima after the 9.0 earthquake caused levels of radiation to enter the waters surrounding Japan. Consequently, "for the first time, scientists have detected radioactivity in fish that have migrated into California waters from the ocean off Japan, where radiation contaminated the sea after explosions tore through the Fukushima nuclear reactors" (Periman).