North Korea Now Making Missile Ready Nuclear Weapons

[Anomalocaris]

[Emphasis added -- Thump]

This really is not the case. Their armored forces and air force both field weapons systems that are largely forty or more years out of date -- T-55s, and a couple of locally-developed variants on the T-62 chassis, MiG-21s and-23/27s reinforced by a smattering of MiG 29s (about 40, if I recall correctly).  

DPRK forces are in no sense of the term "completely modern".

If we attack them, then China will defend, which means that they will attack Us.

China will not defend North Korea from just any attack. They will only defend North Korea to prevent it from collapsing and merging with South Korea or become occupied by US forces.

If the regime collapse is brought about by means other than land invasion by the US or South Korea, there is not necessarily any large amount of room for armed conflict between the US and china even if the Chinese does intervene militarily in Korea.

The first major step of their intervention is unlikely to involve start shooting at the US. Rather they will likely deploy their air and ground assets into northern parts of North Korea, declare it off limits to the US, and dare the US to shoot at them first.

It's unlikely events will simply go out of control and the conflict escalate by itself into a way between the US and china. Rather both sides will have to specifically want that conflict for the conflict to occur. Either side can attain its own core objective while offering the other side opportunity to climb down without embrassement.

Of course we do have trump. But.....