> Deter the US from what exactly?

Just in case this is a serious question, the US has invaded Iran and Venezuela most recently. The US previously invaded Iraq. What do they have in common? They don't have nukes.

They also have something NK doesn't: vast oil reserves. If they did, they be even more of a vassal state to China than they currently are, if they even existed as a separate state at all.

Also, NK's sabre-rattling has been going on for decades and is not a response to Trump's actions.