North Korea has been a problem since 1953. Even without their nuclear weapons program they pose a major threat to Japan and South Korea - against which North Korea would retaliate in response to any aggression.

It also began its chemical and biological weapons programs in 1954 so its conceivable they have no shortage of capacity to deploy these against Japan and South Korea with potentially devastate consequences (somewhere between 2500 and 5000 metric tons of chemical weapons - their capacity for biological attacks is unknown - but they are known to have an extensive history of research and capacity for production and weaponisation of at least Anthrax and the technology to deliver this, along with chemical weapons via artillery and missile.

The regime of North Korea also has a special hatred for Japan. So the problem isn't really a new one, its just that the concern has moved towards its limited nuclear capability and its recent development of a potential capacity to strike the US now possibly with a nuclear bomb.

An invasion or military attack 10 years ago, would still have resulted in a likely retaliation against the South and against Japan - potentially on a massive scale.

"One Nation Under God, has turned into One Nation Under the Influence of One Drug"
[Link]

Only going from what I've read/seen from news sources (non-fake ones), but this is a conventional strike capability to take out NK's conventional and ballistic missile launch sites.

The problem is that NK has chemical and biological weapons and is not expect to display any reticence in using them. Seoul is less than a minute's conventional missile flight time from the border, so Jong Un could kill millions there before anyone knew what was happening. I think 30+ million people live in Seoul. There is a missile defense system in place, but it only needs a couple of those b******s to get through...

As for NK's nuclear threat, it's clearly growing but there's a lot they have to do to actually be able to lob nukes at anyone other than South Korea or Japan. The latest squawking the result of intelligence claiming that they have shrunk their nukes such that they'll fit on their missiles - which is scary but still not 100% confirmed. This report comes out of the Defense Intelligence Agency and - while it has not necessarily been disputed - it has also not been roundly endorsed by other intelligence agencies. In 2013, Obama's DIA went ballistic (pun intended) claiming the exact same thing, but it was completely false and the head of the DIA lost his job as a result (that guy was Michael Flynn...yep, same guy).

So, IF they can put a nuke on a missile and IF they can get the missile to launch and IF it has the range such that they can angle it enough to reach across the continents and IF it can survive re-entry and IF they can keep it on target and IF it actually detonates as required...then there is significant cause for worry. The smart money is on NK not being there yet. Yet...

We don't do possession; we do defense and attack. Everything else is just wa**ing with a football.

Don't you think that Turkey having a border with Syria might just have a bit to do with that?

We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. [Orwell]

I was just responding to you saying Turkey was as attractive as the UK and USA. People tend to try to go to countries where they think they will be better off.

We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. [Orwell]

I've seen that the Turkish government has introduced more restrictions and much higher prices on alcohol in recent years as part of the increasing islamic religious influence in the country.

We have now sunk to a depth at which the restatement of the obvious is the first duty of intelligent men. [Orwell]

Regarding NK and US - isnt it a case of 2 hopelessly inept demagogues looking for conflict as the sole means to maintain domestic credibility?

I think the sage advice of Chuck D is apt: "It was war they wanted and war they got, but they melted in the heat when my Uzi got hot."

Seoul gets mullered in any and all hot war scenarios.

Well I think Simon's head is large; always involved in espionage. (Name that tune)