POLIHALE STATE PARK, Hawaii — In Washington, officials are keeping a close eye on Hawaii amid concerns that North Korea will fire a missile at the state.

But in Hawaii itself, Paula Rego isn’t worrying. As she sits on a beach here on the westernmost point on the island of Kauai — Hawaii’s closest publicly accessible spot to North Korea, which is 4,500 miles northwest — the 37-year-old resident has more pressing concerns. One is comforting Noah, her sobbing 2-year-old son, who was just whacked with a toy lightsaber by his older brother.

Mrs. Rego and her family are part of a group of 21 people from five families who camped at this state park for Father’s Day. “By the time you know you’re in an earthquake, it’s too late to do anything about it,” says Mrs. Rego, a former California resident. “It’s the same thing with a missile.”

Reports that North Korea is planning to test-fire a missile with a 4,000-mile range toward Hawaii around July 4 have prompted U.S. officials to beef up defenses around the islands, a sign of the escalating tensions between the U.S. and North Korea over Pyongyang’s recent moves to restart its nuclear-weapon program. But on Hawaii, many residents are indifferent, going about their daily lives and expressing more concern about issues such as the state’s weak economy.

The islands’ laid-back culture gets partial credit for the nonchalance about the missile. “There’s a saying on this island,” says Andrew Rego, Paula’s husband and a Kauai native. “If can, can. If no can, no can.” Translation: There’s no point in fretting over what is beyond control.

Many residents don’t believe North Korea will risk a missile launch for fear of American retribution. Some say they think the country lacks the technological know-how to send a missile across half the Pacific Ocean, given previous missile-test failures. North Korean long-range missiles have failed three tests in the past 11 years.

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(Source: Stu Woo, Wall Street Journal)