North Korea: How long until they run out of threats?

The North Koreans are in the news again this week. This time, the North Korean government threatened to shut down a major factory complex that it jointly operates with the South Koreans. By doing so, the North Koreans shut down the last essential symbol for cooperation. “The fate of Kaesong is seen as a crucial test of how far North Korea is willing to take its recent threats against the South. Its continued operation was often seen as a sign that Pyongyang’s verbal militancy was not necessarily matched by its actions”. Indeed, the last few weeks have all seemed like North Korea was throwing empty threats at the United States and South Korea. By shutting down a complex that withstood generations of North Korean tensions, North Korea can possibly be taken seriously. Personally, I think North Korea has not yet proven to anyone that they are in any position to be threatening the United States and South Korea. We have no indication of successful nuclear weapons and I personally don’t think the North Koreans have a well-trained military to engage in warfare. Kim Jong Un does not know who he is dealing with and eventually he will go too far and not be able to recover.