North Korea Mega Thread

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Seems like little more than a big war of words at the moment.  North Korea doesn't have real strike capability at the moment, and the military hardware in the region now suggests the U.S. had done nothing to alter its basic defensive stance.  Short of military options, I'm not sure any diplomatic efforts will prevent North Korea from acquiring strike capability at some point down the road.  Though China's UN vote in favour of sanctions was unprecedented and a show of their level of frustration with Kim, I think the Trump administration should not expect too much in the way of Chinese help.  First, Kim, despite continuing to receive massive foreign aid from China, does not listen to him and actively pursues political sympathisers of China in his country.  Second, in case of a crisis, China has no desire to deal with a huge refugee influx from North Korea.  Third, China does not want to be completely surrounded by pro-American states, in spite of its unhappiness with Kim.  On the nuclear front, North Korea has always taken calculated risks; they want to use these things for leverage--if the regime's goal is survival, actual use of the weapons is out of the question.  I am more worried about North Korea launching conventional assaults on South Korea.