A recent article discussed the concern that, with nuclear weapons capable of being delivered reliably to the American homeland, Kim Jong Un could use them to threaten the U.S. in more than one way.

One premise was that North Korea would threaten an American city with a nuclear strike if the U.S. interfered when Pyongyang attacked Seoul with conventional weapons.

The U.S. would then be faced with three unpalatable options: (1) allowing the North to attack the South with no response, (2) committing American ground troops to South Korea’s defense with subsequent heavy loss of life, or (3) allowing Beijing