Damed if you do, damned if you don't.

If only we could have complete certainty of where all those missiles are and how to destroy them, but having a complete certainty of that is highly unlikely.

Commencing an attack against NK with them missles is a gamble, specially with nearby countries.

Then there is how China could take this, considering all the business China does with NK.

I agree with you, it would be best if the world would take care of this maniac once and for all.

I am also concerned about the lives of North Koreans but loss of lives seems to be inevitable in every scenario.

As you can expect, where there are human beings there are good people, even in North Korea:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyqUw0WYwoc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhmzpMP3bEE

This will give more credence to the Japanese politicians who want to have a military again.

Great. Where's Sam Fisher when we need him?
The safest way to take down NK would be trying to spy on them and disable their missiles, but that's too bonkers,
or if an ally (if there's any) betrays them and disable their systems too, but that's even more bonkers.
this is truly a gunpoint with heartbeat detonator bomb situation. this is ugly.

I still can't see what NK stands to gain from doing petty shit like this. They know they can't stand up to SK, Japan and US. They're going to keep pushing until the get bitch slapped.

Well if it were up to me, I'd get all my UN buddies and put in a limit as to how much more we will tolerate before we do something about it. Cause them hitting something really shouldn't be the point of which we act. It should be before they hit something and before they get powerful. Yea, people will die but it could be potentially less if we act when NK doesn't have the weapons to threat countries rather then when/if they do.

Not that I should get into political threads tho :P

China will not tolerate anyone attacking North Korea.

Well, I guess you already know how I feel about the situation

One of the "arguments" that people have been flying around the NK leader behaving this way is that dictators that have yielded to pressures against their nuclear programs have been derrocated. Perhaps Kim is acting like this because he feels he could be next on the chopping board.

My only reserve is having this discussions out in the open, or where intentions could be leaked. If NK is put on notice the crazy dude may make a preemtive attack knowing where the line could break or when an outside intervention is inminent.

If we dont do something, like a war or an intervention, things might escalate and a country might wake up with a hole somewhere in their homeland.

If we do something, we might just risk the same happening due to North Korea retaliating.

Diplomacy doesnt seem to be working, Kim doesnt want anything to do with peace, or at least not without everyone workshipping him or something in those lines, and its not like the US will just go "ohhh okay, lets calm down" considering Trump is president.Assuming that the UN can devise a really effective and quick plan of atack, a strike might be the better option.

Either that and keep damage at a minimum, or we wait for an "excuse" to then act, like that missile not missing a city.

But I must say, Im just scrambling for an idea.To be quite honest, there is no right answer.These situations simply suck.

Wasnt China kind of backing down on supporting North Korea as of late?Im sure that UN could work a deal with China if it were necessary.I mean, even China must know that it is a gamble to be allies with a madman.