What is North Korea's nuclear message?

It seems that it may be "weeks or even months" before we know whether the N. Koreans(DPRK) have punked us with their "unusually small" test explosion. If this was a successful test, and by that I mean the yield was what was expected, and not a failed nuclear device or an attempt to simulate a nuclear explosion with huge amounts of chemical explosives, then what do we take away from this day? By showing us, not that they possess a serious multi-kiloton(kt) nuclear deterrent but instead, that they can pop off a 0.5-1.0 kt mininuke, what message is the DPRK sending us? They are certainly trying to tell us something.

All day long I have been following this story and from the beginning, in spite of all the breathless hype, it has looked more like a failure or a fraud than a successful initiation into the nuclear clubhouse. If it was either of these, then the only public diplomacy benefit the DPRK will reap will be internal. Although the political fearmongers and media types most likely will continue to worship the worst case scenario as long as possible, that is until 07 November, most people will eventually know whether or not this thing was real. If, after the intervening "weeks or months" all we have is some seismic waves and no other evidence, then the DPRK's deterrent will remain theoretical.

However, the last sentence of this NYT article made me stop and think:

“If the lower-yield estimates are valid, then it’s not a militarized system but also not something a terrorist would reject.” (emphasis mine)

What if the DPRK message is not, "don't mess with us or we'll vaporize something you care about, like your troops in S. Korea or maybe Seoul or Tokyo", but instead it's "...we'll give this little device to your most ruthless enemies, and they'll vaporize the Statue of Liberty or the Pentagon", something along those lines. I don't know which side of the Iraqi civil war the DPRK might support, but the thought of a suicide bomber with the equivalent of 1 or 2 million lbs. of TNT...well, it doesn't matter if they're Sunni or Shiite.

Let's hope the commies are, and keep on, screwing it up.