Metaphorically-speaking, you could look at North Korea as the pimple that the People's Republic of China threatens to pop in the America's face. An insult to be sure. But how best to turn that to one's advantage? Start by thinking of NK as a grain of sand in a pearl oyster. It's an irritant, and one that has to be dealt with. The answer is to coat it in layers of shiny lacre, just as an oyster would. The annoyance doesn't go away, but it stops being an irritant.