Deterrence is easily achieved because arms parity is not required; a deterrent must only survive an initial attack, and counterattack with enough force to mitigate the gains of the initial attack.

Because even the “crumbling” NK military can meet these requirements (think of all that artillery pointed at Seoul), nukes are not necessary for deterrence.

Thus, nukes for NK constitute an attempt at “first strike” capability (i.e., the ability to destroy an enemy’s deterrent completely), a bargaining chip, or some kind of domestic propaganda ploy. What do you think?