http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/nkorea_nuclear
Left to their own communist devices, communist societies have very little gross domestic product, high inflation, negative growth, and just implode. China has been a stunning counter argument but they have succeded in three simple ways: by sheer number of expendible worker bees, adoption of some western ecomic practices, and stealing anything they need with protections, such as "Most Favored Nation" status granted by the US.
Just leave North Korea alone; their people are starving, their leader is insane, and we could obliterate them with one push of a very red button.