Conventional wisdom says that if North Korea were ever to use its nuclear weapons, it would be an act of suicide. To many who have studied how nuclear strategies actually work, it's conceivable North Korea could escalate to a nuclear war and still survive. North Korea doesn't have an unlimited supply, and they aren't easy or cheap to build. So North Korea has a very strong incentive to escalate fast, before all is lost. That's what North Korea appears to be doing now, though it's not clear whether the motive is fear or arrogance.

Source: ABC News August 29, 2017 11:26 UTC