At the moment....no. Any type of military action would have to be coordinated with South Korea , and we would probably rely on South Korean units to be the brunt of manpower.  If a shooting war in Korea ensued the US military would be very....very stretched. At the same time though we would probably have several Asian allies helping us too.

Bottom line with this is that the South Koreans will not allow it.  They have by far the most to lose in any conflict with North Korea.  Short of an attack on South Korea, I don't see this happening.   Even then, I'm dubious if the South Koreans and US would push an attack deep into North Korea.  I'm fairly certain that China would find the prospect of US troops on their border as unacceptable now as it did 50 years ago.

 

I'd guess that US has the capability to accomplish the task, particularly with the backing of the South Korean military.  However, it's just not going to happen.

 "Agree. Plus SK could be secretly excited over this and hopes one day to obtain the nuke through merging with the North."

 

 

    Well now if this is the case "How can we have a nuclear free Korea?" Well the only way to achieve that goal is "Remove the regime that already has a few 1st!!!" and "Replace it with one which has none!!!". North Korea if forced by CCP will starve,well actually most already are,but not military personel. This would force Kim to act and he will attack SK, because attacking CCP "Would indeed be suicide!!!". Without CCP intervention "North Korea will be defeated very quickly by combined US/SK forces" and "Both sides have been prepared for such a war before Reagan!!!". The real problem is Seoul, because Kim could unleash a nuke, and kill 11 million in one blow. However if Kim indeed takes this route "He and all his leadership must know that there would be no Korea anymore, for anyone, forever!!!". So the moral is "If Kim is indeed so MAD" then "How can he be allowed to have one?". Same with Iran "How can a nation who calls for the total destruction of another" be allowed "To gain the means to do it?". I guess "Commonsense" is not in the dictionary anymore?.

                                                                        tigertony

The US doesn't need to invade, let NK collapse.  The DMZ is too heavily mined/fenced for people to cross, so they will flood into China.  At the same time, SK and the US can just stroll in behind the fleeing mob and set up shop.

1} If the US/SK defeated North Korea both would now be a "United Korea!!!"

 

Well we sort of did, all the way up to the Yalu and then the Chinese decided to change things for us.

 

2} If we have a "United Korea" under better management "The US presence would not be needed!!!"

 

I honestly don't think US presence is needed.  At least not along the DMZ type needed, for the last 15 or so years.

 

3} If the US presence "Is no longer required" then "We will go home!!!".

 

I think we should.  (1) Then we couldn't be used as an excuse for all the crap Kim tries to pull.  (2) The South Korean government isn't exactly what I would call greatfull for our presence.

 

4} If the US forces have "Now gone home" then "How are we a threat to China?"

 

Same reason foreign troops of any nation would be extremely unwelcome when engaged in combat operations right next to our border.  Mostly, because I doubt the Chinese would beleive we would go home afterword.  I sort of doubt we would totally leave too.

 

5} If we have a "United Korea" stable and self reliant "Then we have a better market for China to sell"

 

I agree with that. But for some reason the Chinese of continued to prop both the Great and Dear Leaders up for the last 60 years.

 

6} If we have "All of the above in Korea" then "How can it be bad for CCP or Anyone?".

 

An economically and millitarily strong Korea that is much further in the US camp than the Chinese camp and parked right up along the Chinese border?   Perhaps its not bad, but with most politics its more about perception than reality.

I think it would be a grave mistake to assume that a united Korea ruled from Seoul would be politically closer to the U.S. than the P.R.C. In fact, I believe the opposite would happen, as South Koreans are already quite anti-American and without the threat from North Korea, they would be free to give their anti-Americanism greater reign in their politics. I also believe that the U.S. would leave Korea completely following a unification. Political pressures to do so back home would be considerable and calls for U.S. departure from Korea itself would most likely prove impossible to ignore within a few years.