This whole thing most likely could have been avoided if the U.S had kept its half of the deal. In the 90’s the U.S made a deal with North Korea that if they abandoned there nuclear programs the U.S would build them some nuclear reactors (that wouldn’t be capable of producing the material need for a bomb). The money and the reactors never came and the Koreas decided to say f**k you by admitting they were pursuing nukes. The U.S has been able to negotiate with North Korea on the issue of nuclear weapons before and hopefully will be able to this time around. I think North Korea is just looking for a pay off.

"GDP: $21.8 billion
Military Expenditures: $5,124,100,000
Exports: $708 million
Export Partners: Japan 40%, South Korea 24%, Hong Kong 7%, China 6%, France 4%, Germany 4%
Imports: $1.686 billion”

Sorry to point this out but measuring a communist state by its trade with other countries is pointless since unlike countries with market economies the main goal of a commie government is not economic output.

Second statement I would like to poke holes in

“suprise and launch conventional invasions of there the own”

I hate to break it to you but no ones going to be matching the military might of NATO any time soon and even if they could occupying a country as big as Canada or the U.S is no easy task. The number of troops needed would be mind boggling not to mention that that force would have to be transported over seas. And last but not lest nuclear weapons make a conventional invasion impossible because what ever country they came from would be nuked 5 times over.

just my $0.02