Facts.
1. NK or any nations with self interests in protecting their soverignty shall develope their own military powers. Unless such acts piss off axes of world power Hegemony.
2. With short range of missiles, who does Nk piss off? China, SK, and Japan.
3. Can Chinese protect themselves from NK threat? Yes.
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4. Can SK? Yes and the question requires further; would NK attack SK? Doubt it.
5. Can Japan? No.
6. What do Japanese wanna do? Build military power not dissimilar to pre WW II.
7. Who would benefit from #6? Military industries.
8. Who are Military industries? You should be able to answer this question.
So, in conclusion, I would speculate that NK missile issue ain't really bout NK. LIKE our tire threads are not really about tires.
Above bullets are not all factual, and some are authors illusions.