> What is NK's goal?

To preserve its sovereignty, and preserve the inflow of foreign aid that the regime uses to prop itself up by preventing the starvation and likely resulting chaos that'd occur if forced to try to support its population from its own ill-managed resources.

I'm sure at least someone close to Kim knows that to actually nuke an American city would invite massive retaliation. But seeming plausibly crazy enough to do it anyway is a good way to make an otherwise absurdly insignificant little country seem like one that needs to be reckoned with. They're banking on the idea that the US will go far out of its way to avoid even the remote possibility of even a minor nuclear strike, and thus far it's worked out for them.

They know if you're going to obliterate their country anyway, they have a little present for you. And you know it too. That's how nuclear weapons work.

So you're saying it's only self defence? In that case what's the fuss?

Because it's self defense of the regime... The regime is the #1 human rights abuser on earth with hundreds of thousands of people in brutal slavery

i'd say because they can be pretty unpredictable at times

The North Koreans have no hope of beating the South in a conventional conflict. Strategically, they're in the same situation as Pakistan, which acquired nuclear weapons as a guarantee against an attack from India.

The Norks have also gotten a lot of mileage from their blackmail/bullying behavior over the years. They may be calculating other countries will be willing to make concessions to keep the crazy guy with nukes quiet.

Does NK as a country have any goals? I think it is more just the few at the top just want to stay at the top, and play whatever games they deem necessary in order to do so.

Everything that NK does is in order to keep those people at the top. It is the absolute definition of a dictatorship. Kim Jong-un only wants to maintain his own wealth and control. That is the only goal

It's too simple view to be true. For one thing, Kim Jong-un understands that if he's not in control, he and his family members are dead. Of course, they want to maintain wealth and control, just like everyone else. But they also don't want to become dead. And they're dead in either of situations:

- if they relax the control

- if some other country decide to "liberate" NK

They probably don't see any possible way out.

Maybe something along the lines of https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_theory

Probably immunizing themselves against invasion.