I'm not sure why the commentators appear so unsure of North Korea's intentions.

Everything was made very clear in that fascinating documentary a few years ago, Team America. As the astonishing undercover footage of Kim Jong Il showed, his motivation is straightforward: 

I'm so ronery. So ronery. So
ronery and sadry arone. Dere's
no one, just me onry, sitting on
my rittle throne.

I wook rearry hard and make up
great plans. But nobody
listens, no one understands...
Seems that no one takes me
SER-RI-ROUS-REEEEEEEEE...
And so... I'm rone-ry... A rittle
rone-ry... Poor rittle me.

Dere's nobody I can rerate to.
Feel rike a bird in a cage. It's
kind of sirry...But not rearry...
Because it's firring my body
with rage!

I 'm the smartest most clever,
most physically fit but nobody
seems to rearize it.

When I change the world maybe
they'll notice meeeeeeeeee---
until then I'll just be
lonely...poor little me...
I'm so rone-ryyyyyy.