We’ll go through with the training because we would never back down to a threat. Which, like, duh, EVERYONE KNOWS.

Then NK will “consider” retaliating like they have just threatened. Now, just what comprises retaliation for training exercises, I cannot imagine. But it matters not, except for this: the fact that nothing comes to mind as appropriate retaliation is a very good clue as to what NK will do in response to our training exercises.

Nothing. Upon careful consideration, they WON’T retaliate. But they’ll make clear that they are very upset and that the unstated retaliation was a very near thing and that are exercising patience, forbearance, and indeed magnanimity by not exercising their unstated powerful retaliation.

It reminds me of a documentary on the mating rituals of birds…”the speckled blabadee puffs its anterior feathers to give the appearance of size and then takes 3 steps forward and 3 steps back, turning a full revolution while chirping its mating call, which sounds like “nodda-week-doosh, nodda-week-doosh,nodda-week-doosh.”