Why target Guam? Because it's a nearby U.S. territory and not a separate country like Japan.
I don't think the U.S. will do a first strike on NK. China already said that if the U.S. does that it will support NK, but if NK strikes it will stay out of it. That's a huge change from the Mao era when China supported NK's aggression. That plus the strong sanctions that China agreed to show that today's China is different. It doesn't want to get into a war with the U.S., especially since it owns so much of the American debt.
Somehow what I think needs to happen is for China, Russia, South Korea, Japan and the U.S. to form an alliance against NK. Not by going to war against NK, but by putting pressure to support those who would get rid of the Kim dynasty. Not saying that it would happen with the current set of political leaders, but with smart leaders and intelligent horse-trading, it is theoretically possible.
What you have have stated is perfectly logical and make a lot of sense but unfortunately this NK dictator is not of right mind and will never give up his nukes. The longer the U.S waits the more nukes NK will have. I am one of those few that believes the the U.S will have no choice but to strike. China will remain neutral provided that the U.S promises not to occupy NK.
China has made it clear that if the U.S. strikes first it will side with NK. Moreover, Kim made it known that he will immediately attack Seoul, which has almost ten million people. Is it worth the gamble for this demon to kill more people in a single strike in world history?
Kim Jong Un is a combination spoiled brat, narcissist, sociopath, and paranoid. He reminds me of the boy on the Twilight Zone played by Billy Mumy, who had the power to do anything he wanted and everyone else lived in fear. It was probably an analogy for Josef Stalin (who helped set up the Kim dynasty). What's needed is for his own military to rise up against him, just like how the military toppled the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt. Not saying it's what likely to happen, but it's what should happen.
