North Korea is a very unique political system. It is the world's only dynastic communist country. Shattering Kim's image among the North Korean people imo requires a change in their consciousness and world view. The Kim regime would lash out at an attempt to do so. Kim would probably build nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, then proliferate. But imo it's likely the regime will do that in any event. The question becomes one of timing.
If the Kim regime is shattered without war, the question posed is what happens next to NK? Civil war? South Korean absorption? Chinese invasion? All of the above? Food for thought.
Would there be a power struggle between the Party and the Military in the DPRK? South Korean absorption of NK would be a monumental task...much more difficult that the West German absorption of East Germany. The one thing that is certain is that the Chinese would intervene in order to maintain a buffer state. In the first and third scenarios there will probably be a refugee crisis for China to deal with.
Assume the Kim dynasty remains in power. It's foreseeable what will likely happen in time. Undisturbed, the DPRK will continue to build nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles. If they haven't already done so the North Koreans will minitiarize their nuclear warheads and develop accurate ICBMs. They will also proliferate nuclear weapons and ballistic missile technology. They may even sell completed warheads. In time the Kim dynasty will become a threat to even China. If I can see this so can the Chinese and the North Koreans. How will Japan react? How will South Korea react? What should the USA do? The future is going to be interesting.
