In my last piece, I questioned the argument made by other writers as to how seriously one should take the claims of the North Korean leader. Do we take him and his state at their word all the time, sometimes or only when it suits us? In international politics it is, of course, a very difficult thing to judge because everyone is playing a game of chess and no one really wants to reveal their endgame. Cards are kept firmly close to the proverbial chest and soundbites appear often.

That was the case, however, until recently. While watching some of the coverage of the American presidential primaries, naturally my attention has been focused every time one of the candidates has mentioned North Korea. I’m sure many more senior experts and regional analysts have thought long and hard about the effects a possible Republican- or Democrat-led government will have on policy toward North Korea. The current Obama administration has adopted what has been described as a policy of “strategic patience” – there is the belief that eventually information pouring into the country from the wider world will lead to the regime toppling in on itself.