The blackmail worked. Two other factors have significantly amplified the menace from North Korea by making it more unstable and unpredictable. One is an apparent leadership vacuum. Some observers believe the sickly Mr. Kim is little more than a puppet controlled by a tough-minded military or political faction. The other factor is a serious deterioration of the country's already anemic economy, fueled by natural calamities that include the most devastating floods in memory.
Starvation is believed to be a real threat.
Such contingencies do not necessarily mean that the Pyongyang regime is on the verge of collapse. The signs are that its leaders are making sure that the military, at least, lacks neither food nor resources. In fact, the nation's stresses make it tempting for Pyongyang to seek some distraction through outside confrontation. The authorities may also have concluded from the NPT episode that the best way to obtain concessions from the U.S. and its allies is through threats of military action. Certainly, with its million-strong army and warplanes that can reach Seoul in less than ten minutes, that is about the only bargaining card North Korea can play with any credibility.