[JohnR]

Originally Posted by wdmso

The USA are not the only players in this game , this is not a us against them.. the North hasn't done much in 24years it has been a carrot and stick approach conducting test does not equal weaponizing a warhead
and diplomacy isn't about absolutes

True, China and to a lesser extent Russia, benefitted from this wedge between Korea / US / Japan. Except nor PRC does not benefit as much as it once did.

In 24 years NK has added thousands of artillery pieces and probably thousands of SRCM within range of Seoul.

In 24 years NK has stated numerous times they will rain fire on SK, JP, USA. They are not closer to that capability than any time before.

In 24 years NK has won some battles of appeasement and lost others - all the time getting closer to where we are today. (ArmsControlWonk - a left leaning site - has a lot of good Open Source info on where there programs may be)

Originally Posted by wdmso

its clear Thru Trump's Administration see's only absolutes there is no balance in any of his approaches foreign or domestic policy

Of course this is Trump's fault. The balance, ironically, may be McMasters and Mattis

Originally Posted by wdmso

We are dealing with a regime who will shoot back , And will see who still has the stomach for a military solution if the north gets in a lucky punch and nothing changes .. what then ..

if we strike and dont take out their capabilities to make a bomb we run the risk of increasing the speed in which the North will weaponize a war head , and for ever remove a diplomatic option

Tough call - no I do not want to see this go hot. You will probably see 200k+ South Korean dead, particularly around Seoul, if you only suffer 1% dead from the greater Seoul Metro area. If it does not go nuclear.

If NK was somehow able to deliver nukes within 100 miles of its border and were to go nuclear just in SK maybe 3-5 million?

This is if it goes nuclear on the Korean Peninsular, not including JP, US, etc. But still before mating warheads to ICBMs.

Originally Posted by wdmso

But history shows why we are here today.. the US put nukes in South Korea to blunt the Russian and Chinese (unintended consequences)

Korean Armistice Agreement
United States abrogation of paragraph 13(d)[edit]
File:1958-02-06 Atomic Weapons come to Korea.ogv
Deployment of U.S. atomic weapons in Korea in 1958
Paragraph 13(d) of the Armistice Agreement mandated that neither side introduce new weapons into Korea, other than piece-for-piece replacement of equipment. In September 1956 the U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Radford indicated that the U.S. military intention was to introduce atomic weapons into Korea, which was agreed to by the U.S. National Security Council and President Eisenhower.[33] However paragraph 13(d) prevented the introduction of nuclear weapons and missiles.[34] The U.S. unilaterally abrogated paragraph 13(d), breaking the Armistice Agreement, despite concerns by United Nations allies.[35][36][37] At a meeting of the Military Armistice Commission on June 21, 1957, the U.S. informed the North Korean representatives that the United Nations Command no longer considered itself bound by paragraph 13(d) of the armistice.[38][39] In January 1958 nuclear armed Honest John missiles and 280mm atomic cannons were deployed to South Korea,[40] a year later adding nuclear armed Matador cruise missiles with the range to reach China and the Soviet Union.[36][41]

The U.S. believed that North Korea had introduced new weapons contrary to 13(d), but did not make specific allegations.[42] North Korea also believed the U.S. had introduced new weapons earlier, citing Neutral Nations Supervisory Commission inspection team reports for August 1953 to April 1954.[33][43]

North Korea denounced the abrogation of paragraph 13(d).[37] North Korea responded militarily by digging massive underground fortifications resistant to nuclear attack, and forward deployment of its conventional forces so that the use of nuclear weapons against it would endanger South Korean and U.S. forces as well. In 1963 North Korea asked the Soviet Union and China for help in developing nuclear weapons, but was refused.[36]

So it is the USA's fault?