[quote=@Vilageidiotx]
<Snipped quote by Buddha>

I haven't watched the video either, but I know their entire government has built its legitimacy on ridiculous levels of fear-mongering. Their legitimacy is pretty shaky and its kind of impressive they've survived this long after the USSR caved. 
[/quote]

I watched it and it touches on MAD theory a little bit but generally the explanation they give is [i]„... the Kim dynasty has seen US topple Iraq because they thought they had nuclear weapons, and has seen Gadaffi give up his nuclear program in favor of cooperation and ultimately get killed at the hand of US backed rebels. They are determined not to follow the same course. Hence they are determined to create ICBM's capable of reaching the USA because this would effectively shatter the alliances USA has with Japan and South-Korea [because it'd induce MAD theory] and topple the scale in their favor in terms of negotiations.”[/i]

It makes sense but it's not the only reason they want ICBM's. And yeah their legitimacy is shaky (but, ultimately, rooted in North Korea. There's no North Korea if the Kim dynasty falls, I reckon, because if the dynasty falls the USA will enter and enforce unity with South Korea/put in democracy) and it's kinda impressive that they did survive this long. Even China isn't really backing them *as much* anymore and yet they're there defying the odds.