Emaciated.

This is coolbert:

First. North Korean armor forces immense and a serious threat in case of war on the peninsula. That article by Eli Fuhrman as seen at The National Interest.

"North Korea Has 4,300 Tanks Ready For War (If They Work)"

"In the event of a major conflict on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea is likely to pursue an early termination of the conflict before the U.S. and South Korea can effectively bring their full military power to bear and before the United States can introduce follow-on forces to the peninsula. In such a scenario, North Korea would likely attempt to inflict significant physical and phycological damage on U.S.-ROK forces and the civilian population, with the KPA’s armored forces would form an important element of any early North Korean offensive."

An early termination to hostilities while the advantage with the North Korean. To be followed by a negotiated settlement of some sort. North Korean not wanting a protracted war.

"According to the South Korean Ministry of National Defense, North Korea operates roughly 4,300 main battle tanks, a significant advantage over the 2,300 main battle tanks operated by the South Korean military. But could they actually get going and fight? "

Secondly and perhaps more importantly, think not the number of tanks or the functioning/malfunction of the vehicles or not but rather the crews of the tanks physically able to perform their tasks during a shooting war.

"Korea: Sullen Skinny Soldiers"

"June 1, 2021: In North Korea the military has been ordered to establish special military hospitals to deal with the growing number of soldiers unfit for duty because of malnutrition. Food shortages have been worse the past few years and a lot more people are simply not getting enough to eat. Since the covid19 border closings in early 2020, the food shortages have become common in the military and even the national capital. The food shortages in the military have been so severe that many units have a growing number of troops who are emaciated and visibly too weak to carry out their duties. The government does not want these malnourished soldiers to die and the new hospitals are a short-term solution until cross-border trade is resumed and food can get in." [all thanks to Strategy Page]

There you have the rest of the story? Could very well be the case. Emaciated and malnourished troops not in any condition to function in a blitzkrieg offensive and be successful?

The irony of the roly-poly overweight leader Kim considering sending starving troops into battle cannot be denied either.

coolbert.