This is why 28,500 troops are still in Korea.

[davidn3600]

27. They used to be very capable and do represent a threat

30-40 years ago the North has stronger military than the south. The Soviet Union for the most part was pumping them up. But when the Soviets fell, politicians in Moscow didn't see much use for North Korea anymore so the food and military shipments stopped (although they were declining in the 80s anyway). That resulted in a massive famine in the early 1990s in the North that is believed to have killed perhaps millions but forming an accurate number is very difficult. At the same time, the South experienced a massive economic boom and has maintained steady growth through today.

The North does have nuclear weapon capability. How advanced that capability is isn't fully understood. Their military is also extremely large but poorly equipped. Most of the little money and resources they have goes to the military. It's a philosophy started by Kim Il-Sung called Songun. They are currently the most militarized country in the world.

The reason they represent a threat is the government is literally run by maniacs and it's an out of control dictatorship. You can't ever be sure what they are going to do. Kim Jung Un is also very young and some defectors have said he had had trouble maintaining control of the inner circle which is why he's had some odd executions. If he does ever feel as if his power is threatened, he may do something stupid.

Officially, we are still at war with this country. We never signed an agreement with them to end the Korean war.