So traditional “regime change” should be off the table. But this should not stop the U.S. and its allies from helping to create conditions for the day when Koreans can take their country back. This requires some patience and imagination.

The patient part of the policy should be a combination of sabotage and deterrence. North Korea should understand their provocations bring consequences. Those consequences though should be tailored to target the leaders of North Korea and not its broader economy. This means making it harder for Kim and his henchmen to spend and keep their fortunes. It also means accelerating intelligence operations aimed at gumming up the regime’s illicit supply chain for its missiles and nuclear facilities. The next time the regime tests a missile, let’s hope it blows up on the runway.

The imaginative part is to continue to give North Koreans a glimpse of a better future.