I never said that would be their first thought. It is simply another consideration and part of the reason that China would not tolerate an escalation into a rea

I never said that would be their first thought. It is simply another consideration and part of the reason that China would not tolerate an escalation into a real war with South Korea. The only way for North Korea to "get away" with crossing the DMZ is if it, at the very least, gives China advanced warning of their actions to placate some of these concerns. Yes, protecting rich Chinese citizens in South Korea is not the only concern, but it is any important one. Besides that, I never said the warning would come from official diplomatic channels within the DPRK. I just said "warning". What this could mean is a warning from asset China has within the government and country. And believe me, they have plenty of assets within the DPRK government that will tip them off. I'm not even sure what your argument here is: That China wouldn't care? That they would care but they wouldn't care about their overseas citizens? That they have no oversight or control or assets in North Korea?