Good point.
If we learned anything from the aftermath of Gulf War II, it’s to keep as many NK military people in place as possible.
I’d also think China would want as little disruption as possible as well.
The problem is, NK is said to be such a closed society and executes people so readily, I don’t know if we can get the message through that we won’t go after them.
The linchpin is still the Dear Leader system. Remove the keystone and the arch falls.