North Korea's insecurity dilemma

Belligerent actions and statements by North Korea led to South Korea and the U.S. upgrading the readiness of their forces and to UNSC Resolution 1874. The importance of recent developments is not only that more successful nuclear and missile tests suggest increased North Korean capability, but also that they, along with other bellicose statements, have been perceived as indicating more hostile intent. However, this paper finds the increase in capability-related threat is, at most, marginal, and that the overly aggressive nature of Pyongyang's actions comes not from strength based on new capabilities but rather from weakness generated by internal crisis.