A broad history of Korea, with a particular focus on key twentieth-century events. Particular attention is given to the dispute over North Korea's controversial nuclear development programme. This issue is profiled in the context of the post-Soviet world, and against such crucial modern events as the Japanese colonization of the Korean peninsula, the US partition, the resulting Korean War, and the subsequent development of North and South. The detailed information both supports a succinct history and encourages an interpretation that transcends Western propaganda.