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After the Allies won World War II, Korea was divided north/south along the 38th parallel. The Soviet Union administered North Korea and South Korea was administered by the United States. During that time members of both North and South Korea made some attempts to reunify the country, but none were successful as violence was commonplace between the communists and anti-communists.

On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea (the North Koreans claim that the United States attacked first). The United States (supported by the United Nations) came to the aid of South Korea, while the North Koreans were backed by the Chinese and Soviets. After three years of bloody fighting across the Korean peninsula and eventual stalemate along the 38th parallel, a cease-fire armistice was signed between the belligerents. Once again, the 38th parrallel divided North and South Korea with a heavily defended demilitarized zone between the two countries. Technically, the Korean War has not ended since an official peace agreement has not been signed by the belligerents.

Fast forward 56 years and the United States is still helping protect the South Koreans, roughly 40,000 American soldiers are stationed there. Witness that even in the face of international criticism, North Korea has tested nuclear weapons and intercontinental ballistic missiles touted as capable of reaching the United States. The words of North Korean Kim Myon-chol underscore the continued hostility; "On detecting the slightest signs that the US intends to launch a first strike, Kim would order his armed forces to move first and blaze key US metropolitan targets with high-precision nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), several exploding at high altitudes. It goes without saying that operating nuclear power stations would be prime targets, sitting ducks."Today, there are many ideas on how to deal with the North Korean threat. This section explores many of them. As tensions continue with threats of a nuclear attack against the US or its allies, understanding our historical relationship with North Korea is the first step toward deciding the best move forward.