ABSTRACT
North Korea’s increasing ties with other renegade states, including growing military collaboration with Iran, have compounded concerns over its nuclear program by raising the possibility that Kim II Sung, or a successor, might one day transfer nuclear weapons or related technology to other countries. Under the hard-line Communist rule of President Kim II Sung, North Korea has emerged as one of the most heavily militarized and repressive states in Asia. The possibility of nuclear proliferation in North Korea arises within a unique context: Kim II Sung’s repeated attempts to dominate the South by force have led the United States to guarantee South Korea’s security with the promise to use nuclear weapons, if necessary, in its defense. North Korea’s military ties to Iran date to the Iran-Iraq War, during which Pyongyang was a significant supplier of conventional arms to Tehran. North Korea appears to have a more diversified nuclear infrastructure and to be less dependent on foreign nuclear assistance than Cuba.
