They stopped testing because they blew up their test facility and most likely their top talent. Remember their test facility collapsing?
China now has a problem they didn’t forsee.
A nuclear armed North Korea that is controlled by a complete and utter madman. I think the present generation of the Kim dynasty is very unstable. His father and grandfather could be guided, to a degree, by China. Young Kim is off the lunatic scale and facing something he never considered, a strong American President who isn’t going to play the game.
The NORKS have been brainwashed COMPLETELY for three generations. No outside news is allowed in.
Radio Free America?
The average NORK citizen doesn’t have a radio.
Their language and culture have drifted far off the Korean trail. North and South are now incompatible linguistically and culturally.
Stockholm Syndrome takes weeks. The Kim family has been at it decades.
Norklandia is led by a little tin god who believes his own press.
He executes those he deems problematic with artillery guns.
He had his half brother executed.
He fed his uncle to starving dogs!
Does anyone trust such a person to make a rational decision?
Does anyone think he will suffer to lose face in front of his generals?
If lil’ Kim feels his Hermit Kingdom falling around his feet he may decide to take the rest of the world with him. I can see him launching nukes at China, Russia and the US to make maximum misery on his way out.
If Hitler, hiding in his bunker, had nukes available, don’t you think he would have launched on everyone he could reach?
Fat Kim is the same level of insane.
And he DOES have nukes.
Well, then, there’s one other option. Send in Soukian spies to reach members of the Norkian military that are alarmed at the state of things, and worried about their own survival. Cultivate them, equip them with what they need. And have them positioned to take the little prick out while Trump tries “negotiating” his way, just in case it works. If little Kim doesn’t seem interested in his offers, one quick shot to the head, and some other, saner prick gets to be dear leader.