Empty Words?

North Korea has said the US would “pay dearly” for new sanctions imposed on it by the UN Security Council. In reality there isn’t much the North can do and its threat is largely empty words. Yes, the country could launch hacking attacks against the US, but security personnel are ready now for such interruptions. The North, if it has lost reason, could launch a missile toward US shores, but were it to do so, it would ignite a war it could not win. So too if the North directed force against the South. So, what is left? The North will have to get creative to punish blockaders and restore its trade with China. One shouldn’t put it past the leadership to find a new way to strike back, but it is likely to be petty. The lesson here is that one shouldn’t use threats unless he is prepared to back them up.