After Iraq in 2003, I think any serious political debate on whether to preempt a regime with WMDs has been well-poisoned for decades to come.
Even with China’s tacit support, NK is still falling apart. They can’t feed themselves and are pouring every won they have into weapons development. I think THEY think these weapons will be bargaining chips they can use to get the food and other supplies they need to keep the regime going.
The more NK is isolated the more they need those weapons. They know they will be completely annihilated if they preemptively attack SK, Japan or the US, and they know a preemptive attack against them won’t happen given the sacrifices SK and presumably Japan would have to make as a result.
NK can’t afford NOT to develop nuclear weapons. No other action makes sense to them, and the US, SK and Japan are powerless to do anything about it, other than build some kind of missile defense, which I assume we are doing.
NK is now apparently working on submarine launched missiles which will add the second leg of the triad. Sweet dreams.
Let’s not forget that Russia is doing their part in propping up the NK regime as well. Anything to piss off the west/NATO.
I haven’t hear much about Russia with regard to NK. Of course at a party it’s better to be friends with ‘the crazy guy with the gun’ then to be his sworn enemy.