Let’s put this into perspective. I have a unique insight into the goings on in Korea although from a 30 year perspective. While not on that scale I was involved in several incidents on the Korean DMZ, during my tour of 77-78 and 82-83. One being the famous “Axe” Incident on August 18, 1976. From Wiki there is this account which pretty much gives an accurate account.

“On August 18, 1976, a group of five Korean Service Corps (KSC) personnel escorted by a UNC security team consisting of the Joint Security Force (JSF) Company Commander (Captain Arthur Bonifas), his South Korean (ROK) Army counterpart, Captain Kim, the platoon leader of the current platoon in the area (1st Lt. Mark Barrett), and 11 enlisted personnel, both American and South Korean,[2] went into the JSA to trim the tree as previously scheduled with the KPA delegation. The two captains did not wear sidearms, as members of the Joint Security Area were limited to only five armed officers and 30 armed enlisted personnel at a time. However, there were mattocks in the back of the 2½ ton truck. The KSC workers had the axes they brought to prune the tree branches. The tree had been scheduled to be trimmed seven days earlier, but rain had forced the work to be rescheduled.

After trimming began, 15 to 16 KPA soldiers appeared, commanded by Senior Lt. Pak Chul, whom the UNC soldiers had previously nicknamed “Lt. Bulldog” due to a history of confrontations.[3][4] Pak and his subordinates appeared to observe the trimming without concern for approximately 15 minutes, until he abruptly told the UNC to cease the activity stating the tree could not be trimmed “because Kim Il Sung personally planted it and nourished it and it’s growing under his supervision.” Capt. Bonifas ordered the detail to continue, and turned his back on Lt. Pak Chul.
Attack.

After being ignored by Capt. Bonifas, Pak sent a runner across the Bridge of No Return. Within minutes a North Korean guard truck crossed the bridge and approximately 20 more North Korean guards disembarked carrying crowbars and clubs. Pak again demanded that the tree trimming stop, and when Capt. Bonifas again turned his back on him, Pak removed his watch, carefully wrapped it in a handkerchief, placed it in his pocket, and then shouted “Kill them!” as he swung a karate chop to the back of Capt. Bonifas’ neck. Using axes dropped by the tree-trimmers, the KPA forces attacked the two U.S. soldiers, Capt. Bonifas and Lt. Barrett, and wounded all but one of the UNC guards.

While Capt. Bonifas died instantly, Lt. Barrett jumped a low wall which led into a 15 ft. (4½ m) deep tree-filled depression, just across the road from the tree. The depression was not visible from the road because of the dense grass and small trees. The entire fight lasted for only about 20–30 seconds before the UNC Force managed to disperse the KPA guards and place Capt. Bonifas’ body in their truck. However, there was no sign of Lt. Barrett and the two UNC guards at OP#5 could not see them.

They did, however, observe the KPA guards grab (by the heels) approximately five members of their own force and drag them back across the bridge. They also observed the KPA guards at KPA#8 (along the UNC emergency egress road) exhibiting strange behavior, in that one guard would take an axe and go down into the depression for a couple of minutes and then come back up and hand the axe to another guard who would repeat the process. This went on for approximately 90 minutes until the UNC guards at OP#5 were informed that Lt. Barrett was missing, at which time they informed their superiors about the KPA activity in the depression. A search and rescue squad was quickly dispatched and found Lt. Barrett had been attacked with the axe by the North Koreans.[9]
LT Barrett was recovered and placed in the back seat of LTC Vierra’s sedan, and CPT Shaddix and LTC Vierra’s driver rushed LT Barrett to the Camp Greaves Aid Station. A helicopter with civilian passengers was immediately diverted to Camp Greaves, the passengers got off, LT Barrett was placed on board with a Camp Greaves Medic, and CPT Shaddix. The helicopter proceeded to Seoul, and met a Medivac helicopter. Both landed, LT Barrett was transferred to the Medivac helicopter because of its medical capabilities, which immediately headed to Seoul with CPT Shaddix. LT Barrett was pronounced dead soon after taking off, and the Medivac landed and LT Barrett was again transferred to the non-medivac helicopter, which took LT Barrett and CPT Shaddix to Seoul, and the Medivac proceeded to the JSA.

The OP#5 Guard, CPT Shirron (CPT Bonifas’ replacement), CPT Shaddix, the Joint Duty Officer’s driver, and the Joint Duty Officer witnessed the attack from OP#5 and recorded the incident with both an Army B&W camera, which ran out of film, and CPT Shaddix’s 35 mm camera with a telephoto lense recorded the pictures published. The UNC Guard at CP#3, Bridge of No Return, recorded the incident with an Army movie camera.”

I can take it from here. The next day the tree got cut down. We didn’t use diplomacy or even force. But superior bluffing, but we cut the damn tree down.

The point is that these kinds of incidents have been taking place in one form or another since the end of the Korean war – a war I might add – never officially ended.

But these incidents will never end unless we put some meat behind our threats to North Korea. Despots laugh at weakness, and doing nothing is a sign of weakness.