North Korea was at it again yesterday, launching two more ballistic missiles into the sea to the northeast of the country. Given Kim Jong-un’s recent provocations, this likely won’t come as much of a shock to those keeping an eye on that part of the world. The missiles in question were relatively short-range and low altitude compared to some of Kim’s newer and bigger hardware, flying less than 150 miles at an altitude below 15 miles. What was different about this incident, however, was that it came at the same time that the Pentagon had issued a much more stern “warning” to North Korea, saying that any use of nuclear weapons by Kim would “end” his regime. This was the most provocative warning shot we’ve seen taken at the diminutive dictator in quite some time. (Associated Press)

North Korea fired two short-range ballistic missiles toward the sea on Friday in its first ballistic weapons launches in two weeks, as the U.S. military warned the North that the use of nuclear weapons “will result in the end of that regime.”

South Korea’s military detected the two launches from the North’s eastern coastal Tongchon area around midday on Friday, Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement. It said both missiles flew about 230 kilometers (140 miles) at a maximum altitude of 24 kilometers (15 miles).

The statement said South Korea strongly condemns the launches, calling them “a grave provocation” that undermines regional peace and violates U.N. Security Council resolutions banning any ballistic activities by North Korea.

The “end of that regime” language came from the Pentagon’s National Defense Strategy report that came out on Thursday evening. It specifically called out a hypothetical nuclear attack against the United States or our allies, but the language might also be interpreted as a warning against any more tests of nuclear warheads by North Korea.

The report went on to offer an even more direct threat.“There is no scenario in which the Kim regime could employ nuclear weapons and survive.” It promised a joint effort by both the United States and South Korea based on a “forward posture.” (Whatever that means.)

The point here is that this language never would have gone out without the White House looking it over first, if not being actively involved in writing it. This represents a substantial shift from our previous approach, where we continually “encouraged” North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions and return to talks that might lead to the eventual lifting of sanctions on them.

By openly threatening to “end” Kim’s regime, the United States is feeding directly into the talking points that Kim uses to keep his people in line. He regularly warns of invasion plots by the west to justify his massive expenditures on his nuclear arsenal while so many of his people starve or disappear into forced labor camps. Have no doubt that news of this threat from the Pentagon will be playing on a loop in North Korean state media for some time to come.

I find myself torn between two different reactions to this. It could be seen as a needless provocation at a time when America is already lurching toward a possible war with two other nuclear powers. But it might also be a recognition that Kim Jong-un is never going to begin acting like a sane international leader and we need to stop wasting our time on him. Frankly, we have far less to worry about from a possible direct war with North Korea than one with either Russia or China. Kim’s government and his nuclear capabilities could be eliminated fairly quickly if he fired the first strike, though the ground war at the border with South Korea could get ugly for quite a while.

But – again – do we really need this right now? It might be better to just let Kim stew in his own juices for the time being and hope that he’s not as entirely crazy as he acts. Most military analysts believe the odds of Kim launching an unprovoked nuclear strike to be quite low, though recent changes to the country’s laws have made it more likely in the event that something untoward happens to Kim in the future.