"The general plan seems to be: wait for the NK system to collapse entirely, which shouldn't take too long. Just wait 'em out."
That's are strategy now, but we've been waitng about 50 years. It does not not look like things are getting any better, only worse. Of course we've been waiting on Cuba for about 40 years. I guess it took about 60 years for the USSR to fall. Maybe we haven't waited long enough yet.
So long as they stay contained, fine. It's up to their citizens to make change happen internally; we just have to make sure the beasts stay in their cages. Saddam looked like he was going to get out, so we did what we did - a lesson to the others.