North Korea: Ready, Aim, Extort

Any day now, North Korea is expected to test-launch a ballistic missile that could finger the very outer edges of America. Which isn't to say that anyone thinks Pyongyang will blast Anchorage anytime soon, but just testing that kind of missile--and then putting it up for sale on the international arms market--is enough to make huge swaths of the world very nervous. It's a perfect setup for high-priced extortion, and last week diplomats were struggling: Do we let the North Koreans launch, or can we buy them off? On the brink of collapse and with its people racked by starvation, North...