You know how US is, they might try limited conventional conflict using only standing assets plus ROK and Japanese reinforments counting on Chinese and Russian nonintervention. Point of this would be not even to conquer DPRK but to tighten leash on ROK and Japan. Or maybe they completely flied off and are trying to test the defensive alliance DPRK and Russia signed few weeks ago.

I think it's more than just the US at this point though. 'western' capitalist countries are all in the same situation. UK, France, Canada... They understand the threat of BRICS to their previous economic hegemony, and there's nothing like a world war to kickstart the economy amirite