LOS ANGELES — On the question of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, better known as (a) North Korea, (b) notorious charter member of former U.S. President George W. Bush's "axis of evil" and (c) pain-in-the-neck threat to world peace and stability, here are a few humble observations in light of the fact that, basically, no one really knows what to do about North Korea, including China:
• First, you do NOT need to scramble to the telephone to get the local contractor to sink that bomb shelter into your backyard — not just yet, anyway. In its current state of evolution, North Korea is still far from being a serious world-threatening nuclear power.
It is true, the trend lines are ominous: In recent days this much unloved regime has test-fired several missiles and appears to have detonated yet another underground nuclear explosion of unclear size and uncertain sophistication. Even so, this all amounts to a mean flurry of activity from a regime claiming the adherence of some 23 million residents — almost every last one being ethnic Korean and too many being mainly hungry.