Editor’s note: The following article is an opinion piece by Rob York, director for regional affairs at the Pacific Forum. Views expressed in opinion articles are exclusively the author’s own and do not represent those of NK News. 

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has reportedly told his subjects to begin preparing for war, called for a “bolstered war deterrent,” initiated “full-scale command training” and blamed the “aggravators of the situation disturbing peace and stability on the Korean peninsula” for rising tensions.

But if Kim is looking for someone to blame for current tensions, he should focus on