Kim Jong-un is not paranoid to be fearful, and he has been acting predictably. The US has left him no choice other than to defend his country with the deterrent of nuclear weapons. Bush sabotaged the negotiated nuclear agreement that the US and North Korea had made under President Bill Clinton in the 1990's. That is what precipitated North Korea withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, and resuming their nuclear program.
In 2003 when Bush persuaded Libya's Muammar Gaddafi to abandon his nuclear program, he singled out North Korea when he said, "we want to have lessons learned, because we want Libya to be a model for other countries" to unilaterally disarm. North Korea was paying close attention in 2011 when President Obama and Hillary Clinton destroyed Libya and assassinates its leader, once he was defenseless. Clinton then gloated "we came, we saw, he died, hahaha". The lesson of Libya is that "if you have nukes, never give them up--if you don't have them, get them" [US Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats].
The North Koreans are not going to trust a US agreement again. They will trust in themselves, as they did when Kim's grandfather Kim Il-sung led the guerrilla warfare against the Japanese. Korea's historical philosophy is based on the principle of self-sufficiency and resistance against foreign domination, especially in the North. The North Koreans now call their historical philosophy "Juche". North Korea is determined to follow the principle of Juche to the "realization of independence in politics, selfsufficiency in the economy and self-reliance in national defence-- [official DPRK Juche link].
President Trump slammed the door shut on negotiations with Kim Jong-un by threatening to totally destroy North Korea with "fire and furry" and insulting him with the "Little Rocket Man" slurs. Kim takes it seriously when the US repeatedly threatens to destroy his country. Trump's insults caused Kim to "lose face (kibun)". Respect is extremely important in Korean culture. The natural reaction for a Korean who has been disrespected is to become infuriated. It is predictable, and the US knows it.
US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley's latest outburst that "if war comes, the North Korean regime will be utterly destroyed" is an obvious provocation, which the Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov called "a really bloodthirsty tirade". Interestingly, Levrov added that "Moscow has been closely working with the US on the North Korean issue, with several meetings being held between the countries' diplomats in the Russian capital, and other venues."
In the 21st century the US has killed millions of defenseless people all over the world with wars of aggression, and by using excessive force and total war against civilian populations. The US uses food, water and medical supplies as psychological weapons of mass destruction. As Madeleine Albright said, 500,000 dead children is "worth it" to bring a country to its knees. That is what the US sanctions are now doing to North Korea. But as Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "North Korea will 'eat grass' before giving up nukes".
The Koreans know the history of US aggression well. The US's first contact with Korea in the 19th century was an act of aggression. The US considered Korea's isolation, self-sufficiency and refusal to trade an arrogant and intolerable insult, and a loss of profit. So in 1871 President Ulysses S. Grant launched an invasion against Korea. When Japan colonized and annexed Korea in 1910 the Western colonial powers including the US cheered their approval.
All Korea has ever wanted was to be left alone. During their 4000 year history Korea has not been an aggressive expansionist country. To the contrary, Korea has often been invaded by China, Mongolia, Japan, Russia and the US. Historically Korea has resisted contact with foreigners because foreigners had always brought invasions. Like his Korean ancestors, Kim Jong-un just wants North Korea to be left alone for the Korean people to determine their own future.
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