the general made the mistake of pointing out that going to war would be stupid. of course he had to go. Nobody calls Kim stupid.

Lose the war and become somebody else's problem.

Does NK even have enough intel to reliably target critical infrastructure?

When the CCP pops the tombstone out in half a decade to join Putin's failed USSR 2.0, they'll be leaving little ol' Un in his land island all alone and orphaned of big bullies to ally with. Thats when shit is gonna get fucky. NK doesn't do business.

This is how I imagine China and North Korea in international relations.

It seems that Kim Jung Un's most recent solid fuel ICBMs have benefited from Russian help. It also explains the increased range.

"Kim's biggest weapons were saved for the end, when his troops rolled out new ICBMs that were flight-tested in recent months and demonstrated ranges that could reach deep into the U.S. mainland, the Hwasong-17 and Hwasong-18. Some analysts say the missiles are based on Russian designs or know-how."

Voice of America News link