Hey, remember North Korea?

[HemlockGrey]

And, of course, despite North Korea's nuclear capability, they have yet to actually use the nukes, nor will they in the foreseeable future, because we, too, have nukes.

But wait, nevermind, containment is a failure, the only option is bloody military retaliation.

[Guardsman Bass]

Well, I for one am happy that we didnt invade N. Korea no matter how deserving they might be. Attacking a country that is involved in devolpment of nukes is one thing, attacking a country who has them is quite another.

Forget abut the possibul threat of nukes, simply by firing 50 SUCDs armed with nerve gas at Seoul (they have something like 700 missiles total) the South Korean military estimated that the North could kill 38% of the cities population. Seoul has over 10 million people. The city is also in range of artillery and lesser multiple rocket launchers all of which can deliver chemical weapons beside high explosives. That's a deterrent they've had for decades and one that really couldn't be overcome unless the US launched a massive surprise nuclear attack on the North. Course that would then blanket Seoul and the rest of the south and Japan in fallout. Diplomacy, or more likely waiting until the North simply dies from complete and utter economic and then political collapse are the only options on the table.

Wouldn't the complete collapse of their nation staring the North Korean Leadership in the face actually be an incentive to attack the South? After all, they'd have nothing to lose, since if the Northern regime collapses they are dead anyway.