ABSTRACT
This chapter provides an overview of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea's nuclear ambitions, efforts by the region and international community to thwart the North's proliferation, and the repercussions of the failure to do so. While every nation's history is instrumental in shaping its present-day identity, perhaps no other country today formulates contemporary actions based on historical precedence more than North Korea. However, North Korea's seemingly rapid nuclear development during 1991 period cannot be considered in isolation but rather as part of a larger dynamic of critical changes in the strategic environment at the time. The ability of the North Korean state to remain intact and survive despite profound changes in the region including the collapse of its traditional patrons – the Soviet Union and communist China during the Cold War. North Korea's strategic goals have largely remained unaltered in the post-Cold War environment.
