Oh look how diplomatic we are with a country that actually has WMD.
It's not the WMD, it's the thousands of artillery tubes the North has - and they're all pointed at and can hit Seoul. They don't *need* a nuke to trash much of the Asian economy (as well as seriously affecting ours).
From the Sep 10 issue of Asia Times:
South Korea is a small country of only 98,000 square kilometers. North Korean jets can reach the capital in six minutes from their forward bases. North Korea's 12,000 artillery tubes and 2,300 MLR (multiple-launch rockets/ medium-long range) hidden in caves and underground are all within striking distance [of] Seoul, while its medium range Nodong ballistic missiles can reach US assets throughout the South and in Japan. In the mid 80's North Korea managed to import 87 American-made Hughes MD500 helicopters, the same type South Korea uses as gun ships. The area between Seoul and the DMZ is heavily wooded and mountainous, perfect for guerrilla warfare.
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Personally, I can't think of *any* system that can stop 16,000+ simultaneous incoming rounds with 100% accuracy, can you? It is also an open secret that some of those shells will be carrying bio and chemical payloads, so that's even worse.
This is a very touchy situation, and the adminstration is right to handle it with a great deal of care. That said, I'm also of the mind that covert ops would be a great idea - say, perhaps, a large "accident" with their new reactor site along the lines of Chernobyl.....