A former U.S. official says that North Korea will someday collapse though when cannot be predicted. 
 
Christopher Hill, former Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs at the State Department, spoke in Seoul on Wednesday at the 21st Media Conference hosted by the Washington Times and the Korean daily Segye Ilbo.
 
He said North Korea was losing friends because of its nuclear development and there has been much talk of the regime's collapse
 
Though recognizing that many sanctions are in place against its missile and nuclear programs, Hill said that North Korean missiles are an exceptional global threat.
 
Regarding reforms that have taken place in the North he observed that new leaders tend to conduct reform. He viewed it positively, but believed the reforms would be temporary.