Another Korean War?

The news seems to indicate that North Korea is agitated and shelled an island in the Yellow Sea along part of the disputed border on the peninsula.

So what had them agitated? Besides the fact that they are looking to make a transition from one psycho dictator to another, they seemed to want to send a message in response to another event.

The US and South Korea were doing their own military and naval exercises earlier hoping to send some sort of message. Now that the North has shelled a few houses we've responded by sending a aircraft carrier task force to the region.

I've said for years that if you want to find a war, send your navy out into the sea and they'll find one for you. Now as the situation remains tense, we're only one accident or misunderstanding from it escalating into a war on a small highly populated peninsula.

Of course we're told that we can't remain neutral because we have too much as stake. But somehow China has remained neutral despite being a neighbor to the region and would more than likely would be a host to millions of refugees if a war broke out. With more at stake they seem to understand that staying out of it may be a good idea.

South Korea has a GDP ten times that of North Korea. If they were able to defend themselves without our intervention, I would imagine that North Korea would never attack them for fear of being completely destroyed.

On the bright side it may spark a brand new M*A*S*H sitcom.