Were we all previously wrong about the North

April 24, 2014 - North Korea is a bigger threat than anyone had ever expected. All of our intelligence turns out to be wrong. When Kim Jong Un inherited power most of the world laughed at him assuming he was not capable of leading a nation and developing a successful nuclear arsenal. The world was assuming that Mr. Kim's uncle Jang Song-Thaek was going to keep him in check.
Initially the idea was that North Korea would try to get it's economy going and increase the nuclear missile arsenal. We thought that Mr. Kim was going to follow the path laid out by his father and grandfather. however that was not the case as shown in recent missile testing showing that their nuclear program has in fact surged forward. Now they want to prove to the world that they have a Missile that can reach America's shores.

Evans J.R. Revere had this to say after trying an assortment of diplomacy option with the North: "“For two decades our policy has been to keep the North Koreans from developing nuclear weapons. It’s now clear there is no way they will give them up, no matter what sanctions we impose, no matter what we offer. So now what?”
That is the real question indeed: "So now what?" If North Korea doesn't care if they are being cut off from the rest of the world then how are you supposed to stop them from doing something highly irrational? Can you? One part of this article I'm unsure about is what the outcome would be if the DPRK had to be stopped by force. They have potentially inter-continental missiles, and if they were to launch them towards a more powerful nation with the ability to blow up the whole world it would end very badly for them. The United states also has many allies that would back us up if the DPRK were to attack. 

(Above) Intercontinental missile aboard a mobile transport in North Korea. The North Koreans use trucks like this to transport missiles like this in between tunnels that they use to keep them secret.

The other part of this article I'm unsure about is if all of the previous intel there was on North Korea is wrong then how can we be sure that this is true? With the amount of interactions they have with the rest of the world it is hard to keep tabs on what truly is going on over there. Mr. Kim could just be all talk and no walk. Maybe the world only needs to make sure they don't invade the rest of the Korean peninsula again, instead of fearing for their own shores.
“I’m now convinced North Korea would prefer to collapse with nuclear weapons than try to survive without nuclear weapons,” Said South Korea's former national security adviser, Chun Yung-Woo, as well as "...the strategy Washington is pursuing is based on the opposite assumption". Washington is presumably thinking that that the DPRK would not prefer to collapse with their arsenal, but instead unleashing all hell on the rest of the world right before their demise. If very strict sanctions are already placed on North Korea then what will stop them from launching their nukes?

If you have an idea on how to stop this madness please comment!