I wonder if this is just a 21st Century version of the old 'rattle the saber and shake down Uncle Sugar for some foreign aid appeasement money' routine.
It could be. North Korea has some very serious problems including the possibility of a famine in the offing.
seems more like the Americans want some US destabilization in the Far East now since their policy in the middle east worked so well seems like they want to poke China next war is great for the arms business and vital to US economy