re: The North Korea threat has gotten worse. I am concerned that this won't end well.

The DMZ "forces" are international troops wearing UN gear. At the first offensive shot they would drop to the ground and surrender. They are really just police officers of the DMZ. It isn't an expected role for them to defend territory.

However, at the DMZ boundary sits massive outposts of troops with armor ready to act on a moment's notice. Even 67 years after the conflict began, tensions are in a hair-trigger state. South Korean forces backed by US might would overwhelm the 160 miles of the DMZ quickly.

The North just isn't similarly equipped and would suffer incredible casualties in the opening days of warfare. The only thing I could compare it to would be the conflict between Germany and Poland at the outset of WW II. We all know how that turned out.