Meet North Korea's new Kim - same as the old Kims

Let me guess - everyone thought he would be more warm and fuzzy, right?

The funny thing about the Kim family is that their capacity for inflicting oppression and misery is inversely proportional to their hilarious, moronic and non-threatening appearances.

If you look back into history L'il Kim is acting just like his ancestors who ruled Joseon. Not much change in attitude after all these decades.

Fat boy's menaces don't seem to be working any more and there are only so many times he can spout his "I'm going to beat you up" threats before he becomes a laughing stock, if he isn't one already.

King Kim III ought to be more careful with his big mouth, or he'll get a hiding he'll regret. If only he would play quietly by himself nobody else would bother him.

It's the tone of the article... "No cause for alarm". While Kim doesn't have the technology yet to send nukes to the US, I think it's a mistake to underestimate their anger and hatred toward most outsiders. Personally I think he is 100% serious and while it may seem like he is "putting on a good show", it would be a mistake to assume this guy is a buffoon.

The smallest dog in the pen will bark the loudest.

It amazes me that he had potential to set his country right and remove the oppression but since has decided to ramp up the antics.

Does he not realize the military power he threatens?

I think we need to remove him from power and free the Northern Korean populace from their governmental blindness.There are well over 52 major labor (slave) camps, full of thousands of starving or near death citizens, infant to elderly and even first hand reports of cannibalism just to stay alive in these camps.The country is full of intelligent artistic talented people but they foolishly believe that their dictator's lineage is their messiah. There are few remaining crop fields, even less embargo (if any at this point) of support coming in to the country that we know.

China is a major pivotal player here... Explain to me what numerous slave labor camps are beyond the Chinese / North Korean border well into China? Underground tunnels and guarded railways link the two countries together, both are populated by NK and Chinese forces. Both countries deny their "link" and keep trying to wave a jedi hand over it thinking that we did not see anything.

Will China back NK? Will China protect its border and stop any NK aggression? Will China just sit back and watch if NK starts a war and SK / USA / NATO all kick in? If we go to war with China, the entire world economy will collapse, the US will be crippled.

Back to NK -- The US and NATO military have stealth / drone technology where NK has no chance unless they pull a wild card and have military supply in hiding backed from Russia or China. There is a serious threat here then in that case. If they have no secret backing then they are basically bullying everyone to the point where they will get knocked out this time for it. Personally, I fear that they have faked their botched missile tests in the past as a ruse to cover up they do have a few weapons of mass destruction in seclusion. NK has nothing to lose at this point... ignorance and pride are left... the populace, bound, gagged and forced to follow orders.

I do not want war... I do not want war with any country. I do not want any dictators either, self proclaimed messiahs in their own mind. I do think we need to free the NK populace... show them that they all have been duped, starved and blinded by their false leaders. If it takes removing a dictator to free the people and stop this tyrant ... then so be it... it will be sad for the NKs that lose their lives protecting Kim.

History repeats itself... all dictators eventually lose.

America's Elite Military will provide North Korea once again a chance to die for their country, due to the mouth of their Dear Leader Kim Jong-un ...

Eric Hester:

" I think we need to remove him from power and free the Northern Korean populace from their governmental blindness "

That would mean a war with China. Are you serious?

I think China is tired of NK too. But the point is understandable. The US wont pay for another long term war, so that leaves few choices if this escalates.

Kim would not succeed in getting Washington and its allies to “buy them off” with aid, fuel or other concessions, as previous U.S. administrations have periodically tried to do.

The U.S. did not try. It promised and then never delivered.

Obama himself offered food aid to North Korea last year, under stringent monitoring terms to ensure it wouldn’t be diverted to the military, in return for a moratorium on nuclear and long-range missile tests. The deal imploded less than three weeks later...

This deal was pathetic, it was like trading shiny glass beads for a major concession. It was treated with the contempt it deserved.

What the U.S. consistently fails to understand is that North Korea is for sale to the highest bidder, and China bids MUCH higher than the U.S. Case in point the food aid promised above. Around the same time North Korea got a lot more food and fuel (which it needs badly) from the Chinese. It doesn't take a genius to draw a line between the two events and conclude that China out-bid the U.S.

Even when China hasn't outbid the U.S. it hasn't delivered what it promised, or has delivered far less than promised, so why SHOULD North Korea do business with the U.S.?

As for the latest threats against the U.S. by North Korea, can't anyone see that these aren't really coming from N. Korea? They're acting as China's catspaw. China can't directly threaten the U.S., but it can bribe North Korea to do so.

This idiotic insistance on seeing North Korea as a separate entity, unrelated to the regional politics of Asia, is ridiculously simplistic and misleading.

The only danger lies in that "little" Kim ;) may believe his own cult of personality, if he is brought up to believe that no one can stand in the way of NK, then maybe he'll try something crazy.

"Kim dialed down the harsh rhetoric in his latest speech this week when he avoided repeating recent threats to attack South Korea and the United States."

Oh I thought you wanted to destroy the US and South Korea in one stroke!

Lil dictator, Big Mouth, Destiny date with Disaster. Dear Leader Kim Jong-un, fire one missle or two, or how ever many you like, it will be your very last hoorah, Your life will be a very short one, even now greater mind's than mine, are developing the way you will meet the end, suicide by Elite military...

NK needs a close relationship with China for every conceivable reason. It's not in their strategic interest to alienate every country that surrounds them. China cannot be happy with the current situation and you will see a tougher stance emerging from Beijing. In unpredictable Kim regime, to the uncertainties if war breaks open, and NK loses, there is a possiblity of reunification on the Korean peninsula that could result in China being surrounded without a buffer by American controlled influence that will create much more problems to China's security. China is probaby fed up at the distractions being created by NK while they need to address issues in energy, East and South China Sea, and corruption issue at home.