Have you got a source on that? I couldn't find anything on the BBC, CNN, or Guardian. I would like more details, is all.

http://www.rfa.org/korean/

The only article about it is from RFA. Honestly, most of the stuff that is happening in Korea is being reported 1-3 days late by Western (even British) media.

Delicate business indeed. I just looked up NK are lining up heavy artillery north to the demilitarized zone as answer to south Korean speaker propaganda. A small frontier accident could be excuse for war at this point.

I think it would actually be quite difficult to get China as an ally, maybe impossible. Communist nations just don't <i>go</i> against one another like that: whatever else can be said about them (most of it bad), they're nothing if not loyal to like-minded nations.

The best odds of avoiding war with China, honestly, is convincing it to remain neutral in the Korean conflict. If that happens, North Korea is toast, because no one else is going to help it. The problem with this is that I don't see China going neutral unless the West agrees to throw Taiwan and Tibet under the bus: essentially a trade. That's not something I find acceptable.

If it weren't for US intervention in 1969, China would of been nuked to the stone ages by the USSR. So you are very wrong.

Oh man, this is some scary stuff.

One thing I realized:

If NK does try to invade SK, its going to get its rear end handed to it. Their portable air defense systems are going to be totally useless against ROK and US air assets.

After pounding what is there by wild weasels, they will be fodder for dozens of AC-130 gunships. Could you imagine a massive army getting fed to a squadron of AC-130s?

Light reading on ORBATs for US, ROK and DPRK forces in the area.

United States forces in South Korea

Notable assets:

• 3 squadrons of F-16 Falcons (24 aircraft each)
• 1 squadron of A-10 ground attack craft (20 aircraft)
• 36 M270 MLRS Systems (2 batallions)
• 17,000 infantry + mechanized armor in 2nd infantry divison

United States forces in Japan

Notable assets:

• 2 squadrons of F-15 Eagles (24 aircraft each)
• 2 squadrons of F-16 Falcons (18 aircraft each)
• 1 squadron of F-22 Raptors (12 aircraft)
• 1 squadron of F-18 Hornets (18 aircraft)
• CVN-63 George Washinton CTG
  
  • 4 squadrons of F-18 hornets (12 aircraft each)

Republic of Korea, Army

• 522,500 troops
• 1,500 M1A1 Abrams Tanks (built indegenously as K1-88 by Hundayi)
• NKW Assault Rifle - Bullpup 5.56m with a 6-round 20mm grenade launcher. First in the world to issue it in May 2010. 
• 68 AH-1F Cobra attack helicopters

Republic of Korea, Air Force

• 39 F-15 Eagles
• 169 F-16 Falcons
• 129 F-4 Phantoms
• 174 F-5 Tigers

North Korean (DPRK) Army:

• >1,000,000 troops
• 4,500 tanks
  • All but 100 are T-62 or older
• 1,200 APCs

North Korean (DPRK) Air Force:

• 80 Harbin H-5 Heavy Bombers
• 270 Mig-19 Farmers (or lower) copies
• 260 MIg-21 Fishbeds (or clones)
• 45 Mig-23 
• 40 Mig-29 Fulcrums
• 40 SU-25 Attack Aircraft
• 24 Mi-24 Attack Helicopters

__________________________

As you can see, the DPRK has a lot of numbers, but their equipment is ancient. They have 40 modern fighters, and 40 modern strike aircraft.

You forgot to list N. Korea's most important military assets: An unknown number of nuclear warheads of unknown yield, and launch vehicles that are perfectly capable of delivering them to S. Korea.

Maybe S. Korea and allies have the intel and the rapid response to pre-empt a launch, but here's hoping we never have to find out.

And we have no idea if they'd even work. North Korea has never detonated a nuclear weapon to prove they have the capability.