The deal with North Korea, to build them nuclear power plants in return for North Korea halting work on nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles, continues to wander off course. Building the reactors is way behind schedule (mainly because of irrational obstacles thrown up by North Korea), and will not be ready until 2008 (originally this was supposed to be 2003.) South Korean leaders are hoping for an orderly fall of the increasingly inept and unpredictable North Korean government. But many American politicians still fear that the North will either start a war or fall into chaos because of total social collapse. Everyone is content to let the nuclear power plant building process drag out, feeling that the North Korean government can't last much longer.