If your enemy is too weak, he may be forced to respond with deadly force.
The threat to go to war with us, right at the moment we are poised for war with Saddam, is precisely intended to force us to divide our forces. It is almost a certainty that NK will continue to ramp up the pressure, to force us to pay attention to him, and to hopefully convince us to delay or cancel war with Iraq.
This is the whole purpose. If threats don't work, there may be an attack on a South Korean ship, or a commando attack on South Korean territory. This isn't far-fetched, it happens all the time, anyway. Usually the press takes little note, but in the present climate they will seize on it to try and draw us away from Saddam.
If that doesn't work, they may well attempt a nuclear test, or another missile launch. Or even intensify their shootouts with the South to some point just below full scale war. Anything to convince us he is the greater threat.
It is not a serious threat. It is a calculated ruse. Before it came to fullscale war, they can always pull back and "allow" themselves to be talked back down.
And if I miscalculate, and NK launches full scale war, South Korea is well capable of handling NK. They may not want to, it would mean a heavily damaged Seoul, but NK can be handled. If they were crazy enough to resort to one of their untested nukes, South Korea is under our nuclear umbrella. A serious attack on the south could well trigger a nuclear response from us, certainly if they initiate the use of nuclear weapons, possibly even if they do not. If there is any chance of our forces being over-run, or if Seoul is taking heavy damage, we might respond with nuclear weapons to silence the bombardment, and possibly to incinerate the attacking force.
With or without the nuclear option, NK would not survive a war with the South. So they must content themselves with saber rattling, and possibly an attack that approaches but falls short of full war.
In any case, we should let the South handle it, focus on what we have to do, and deal with NK, if there is anything left to deal with, according to our own timetable.
I agree with you. I think this is a ruse, too. And, Dr. Evil's 15 mins. of super fame.