#2 is the best option. NK cannot survive without foreign aid and the only leverage it has at the negotiating table is its nukes and army. If SK, USA, Japan, Russia, and China all sit tight and ignore NK's tantrums and threats, NK will either implode or try a desperation grab for SK, which would be curtains for Kim's regime.

we've tried to give them aid in exchange that they drop their nuclear wepons programs. where have it gotten us? nowhere. They take the aid and milk us dry like suckers. then we've tried to negotiate with them through SK, china and russia. Did it work? NK promised that they'll consider and then when it all looked good, they test fired short ranged nuclear, ballistic missile over the sea of japan. then we tried to apply economic pressure through the UN but all we got were shaddy buissnesses and corruption that tied them with Russia and iraq. TIME AFTER TIME! we've tried all we can to avoid a nuclear standoff. we have over 250 nuclear weapons from the cold war that is about to be decommisioned and replaced because of their old age. i suggest why let it go to waste? we nuke the crap out of kim jong il and his garbage assed country. then the world will be able to live in peace.

I'll take option #2---Just ignore them and they will whither and die.

And what of the millions of unwilling serf's of Kim Jung-il's worker paradise? Nuking NK isn't going to solve anything. The solution lies with China. China's is the only remaining supporter of North Korea. Without Chinese aid, NK would be gone. I say we "persuade" China to stop supporting NK unless they agree to WMD inspections by the UN, convince China and Russia into not selling them any weapons, neither conventional or ABC. In exchange for this: massive foreign aid. This is off course just a ruse to stop the WMD programs and cripple the conventional forces. Then a combined US/ROK offensive crushes the North Korean army and takes Pyngyang just like in Operation Iraqi Freedom (THAT part of the war worked fine, after all). When the regime falls, Korea will be unified under Seoul followed by massive US aid to discourage any communist hardliners from starting an insurgency. The Korean Army will take into their ranks as many of the soldiers of the North as possible, Koreans will assume full control from day one. With Korea mineral reserves of the north combined with the advanced industry and big population of the south, Korea will become a deterrent for Chinese imperialism and key US ally.

"If NK's government collapses, why would China not be justified in establishing an occupation government there a la CPA with its police and military? Nobody is going to kick them out. Either by staying or by dictating through a puppet government, NK would become a China province." That is a really good point. I like talking to guys like you. However, I am a little confused about your worry and your definition of puppet government. You mean like what the U.S had done to Iraq, Jordan, South Korea, Japan, etc? Hmmmmm, I can't name one puppet government that China owns yet. I am sorry, I am missing a lot of points here. Who was trying to take over the world again?

Use the Walmart strategy against China.....

If China doesn't help with NK, then Walmart will stop selling their cheap crap!

have you really thought this through say we get pyongyang we take ther conventional army out ok ther its gone then what ? what about the rest that have hidden in the tunnels of korea?Nk is not iraq are iran its more complex and yes i belive china would come in just to help the allies so they can take nkorea for themselfs us is loosing power and im noticeing it evrey day and i hate it but we need to face the facts oo i forgot what about nkorea and ther subs ? they have the largest sub fleet in the world if they work that is

As a Korean in Korea, I will say this. If you would like to lose South Korea as your trading partner, fine. Go ahead and drop nuclear weapons and North Korea and let the fallout rain over South Korea killing everyone and therefore killing trade and making all of both Koreas like Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Or, wait for Kim Jung Il's death. Currently, his state of health is deteriorating at a fast rate. On top of all this, his three sons are now in a struggle to gain power as the next leader. Recently there was a report of an explosion near the Chinese and the North Korean boarder. Supposedly, this was during a military coup between two of Kim Jung Il's sons. US could support one of his sons, and if things look like it's going too well, then start supporting the other sons and so on. I believe this is what the US had done in Europe back in World War I or II if I recall correctly.

Invade both N.Korea and China