Recently in NK News, B.R. Myers argued that it is now time to stop downplaying North Korea’s actions and rhetoric and, instead, take them at their word. His suggestion was that we should cease trying to look through their statements – in the hope of finding a hidden message, an ulterior motive or linear pattern – and begin to take them at face-value; to accept what North Korea says as the truth.

In a world of duplicitous Machiavellian politics taking place on a global scale, this is a courageous stance to take with any country or state, let alone one as isolated and aggressive as North Korea.