Future Chinese Provinces

The world now has a new nuclear power in North Korea. To an outsider, it seems like a horrible waste of resources for a country that has a difficult time feeding its own people.

I was recently in the physician's lounge waiting for a case to get started back in the OR. They were discussing the then possible nuclear tests in North Korea. The conversation went something like this...

Orthopedic surgeon: I can't believe we're letting that crazy guy in North Korea get nukes.

General Surgeon: Yeah, we should just send our boys over there to clean that place out.

Anesthesiologist: Except instead of doing like we did in Iraq, we should flatten the whole
country. That way we won't get bogged down.

Cardiac Surgeon: What we ought to do is use several of those neutron bombs and clean out the
whole place.

Anesthesiolgist: Yeah, and then we could ask the Chinese if they need a new province.

General Surgeon: Yeah, and we could offer to throw in South Korea as a bonus.

Me: Its kind of illogical that a country with only 300 million people would be trying
to dictate to larger countries such as India that they can't have nukes.

At this point everyone shut up about nukes, neutron bombs, and future Chinese provinces and began discussing the then pending Georgia/Tennessee game. After the conversation, I think I have a better understanding as to why North Korea might want nuclear weapons of their own. Of course, I didn't live through the Korean war either.