Send John Bolton back to the UN and the IAEA.

That's what there is to do. :p

China needs to be engaged to clean up this mess; they are going to have to see their own self-interest in having a nuclear free (except for them) neighbourhood. China should be encouraged to encourage a regime change in North Korea.

Or we can tell the South to be like West Germany, take one for the team, and re-unify their country...

<i>They have been nuts for going on six decades now</i>

Really. My history books shows the region as being relatively quiet and peaceful since the Korean War. I realize there's lots of internal nuttiness but as far as I can tell none of it is having a destabilizing effect on the neighbouring countries. In fact, South Korea seems to be doing quite well in the face of this nuttiness.

So what reason is there for us to come up with a solution to a problem that seems to only exist in the minds of the fearful?

Nah, they're nuts:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korean_abductions_of_Japanese

I don't know. There's the idea that they might sell their nuclear tech to terrorists, to other rogue states, or start menacing the region. Think AQ Khan x10.

On the other hand, we could just encourage the Japanese to go nuclear themselves in response and give up on the whole non-proliferation thing.

I agree that the Chinese need to be the ones to deal with this. Failing that:

1) An announcement in worldwide media that "Dear Leader" has scheduled another nuclear test.
2) 1 ICBM dropped on Pyongyang.
3) An announcement in worldwide media that NK's test has resulted in an unfourtunate accident.

Hmmm.... human rights? People being chewed up in a nightmarish tyrannical scenario? Combine that with, as Ben says, export of vastly dangerous weapons and what isn't to love about ending the regime?

Ending the Norks is probably slightly less legitimate than regime change in Iraq was, but it's just as moral. (Take that for what you will, warmongers and pacifists alike.)

Would I do it if I were in the big chair? Probably not, because I think we've got enough on our plate already, but I wouldn't march in the streets against sending the 101st Airborne to Pyongyang either -- I'd wish them well.

First cut off 100% of all food, oil. Stop all ships from entering. Starve them. Then put out much misinformation straining chinas relations with n korea. Assasinate all children of kim make it look as if done by china. Slowly move all people out of souel. discreetly. send in low flying preditor drones loaded with missles, hit all air force. then right away move in bombers and carpet bomb the entire country from edge to edge with MOABs. Then move tropps though shelling everything as we go. Use planes to find tunnel entrances, bomb them so there is no way out. Take no prisoners the first 48 hours. After the first bomb fell they will try to march on souel. This will be mostly vacent by this time, and there shelling and attack will be mostly wasted. then we enter after they used much ammo. first with air strikes. then shelling. Find the tunnels air vents and drop toxic gas down it and flush everyone out. For every militant captures we will cut off all fingers so they could not easily use a knife or gun.

If they use there small nukes we will use our big ones. Let the dear leader know before hand that is they are used it will directly result in the murder of his entire country, which will be on his hands.

Yes many people would die, this would secure os against a future threat from this country.

Another option is the Chinese option. With strayed relations, we can only hope the mis information will result in china invading and annexing n korea.

"First cut off 100% of all food, oil. Stop all ships from entering. Starve them."
Except the country is already at the point of mass starvation. They don't call the DPRK the 'Mysterious Shrinking Country" for nothing. It is EXACTLY the economic weapon that pushes Kartman Jong-Il to want a nuc and do the stupid stuff he does----so he can threaten right back.

As for the rest of it? Yeah, Seoul will be vacant. Because most people will be dead there, caught in gas and mass artillery fires. A healthy chunk of the industrial infrastructure of ROK will be razed as a result. Basically, this is a bad idea, and I hope nobody of consequence thinks like this.

There are a couple of things that can be done. 1) Peaceful/Forceful Reunification. ROK is hesitant because of the cost of such a move. Get out the checkbooks and put IRL and CAN blue helmets on the ground to supervise. 2) Buy off PRC. End the Taiwan relations act as the 'bride price' of getting PRC to be satisfied with losing DPRK as a buffer. Then, as we open our checkbooks, we let ROK do much of the work themselves since THEY CAN. 3) Do about nothing. Give Kartman his food and vittles, with a little bit extra so he can enjoy his Dom Perignon and cheeseburgers while his son acts a bit of an int'l playboy. 4) Somehow convince PRC to do it as a coalition.

Personally, I think China waited to long. Now they're over a barrel---they can't step away from Kim and they can't trust him either. The possibility of Kartman screwing them proves that Strategic Deterence has some lasting validity---PRC can't act 'cause Kartman can find ways to poison the land(a few hundred kg of Pu, whether it fissions or not is not going to be good for China, and the Scud like stuff DPRK has can hit a decent part of the sea board and the 'rice basket').

So, while there's things that can be done, I say just buy the fracker off. We waited too long, so let's go with what works, even if it still sucks to be above the 38th Parallel.

Oh, and one other thing I want to say now that I think about it: which way does the wind blow?(I.e. where will all that fall out go? Basically, all over our ally JPN and likely the western sea board of N. America. As the guys in teh Guinness commercial say, 'Brilliant!')

Why I'm spending my money to Nasa and let the North Korean use the GPS for their guided missile?
Shutdown that stupid satellite and let the missile drop in their backyard....yep I hope the arm it.