[plain talk]

Or would they choke and fold in an anticlimactic fashion?

I see no way that would happen. You mean Fat Boy tells his generals -- ahh never mind -- forget all that stuff we've been talking about for decades? NK is fully invested in this farce and would go out in a blaze of glory.

[TigerLikesRooster]

Not fat boy but others. The farce would finally meet punishing blows, something which is so overwhelming. The farce has been perpetuated because they haven't met real resistance. They did invest much into it, and it is not up for negotiation. That does not mean that they would fight to the death when massive punishment starts. The prospect of certain death would weaken their response. They would rather find a way to save their life by deserting or bolting from the regime.

Their response would be rather passive not active. They would not go out and say their policy should stop. They all sing in chorus to vow the fight to the death until everything explodes around them and they have absolutely no means to fight back. I noticed a curious pattern of passive resistance in N. Korean's attitude toward their regime. It suggests that they want to be left alone. They are not active participants. Even elites vaguely feel that they are at the dead end, but somehow find no alternative to status quo.

I do not discount the fact that they were brainwashed, but they also know that they have no chance, and Kim Jong-un is not an endearing leader. He is less than what Hirohito was to Japanese during WWII. Their brainwashed mentality would cause problems after the shooting subsides and a new regime or occupation begins.