Published 4 July 2017 Share close Share page Copy link About sharing Related Topics Kim Jong-nam death “Rogue nation”. The “greatest immediate threat”. North Korea has been called many things, few of them complimentary. The government has been accused of brutally oppressing citizens while ruthlessly pursuing the development of nuclear weapons. In the past year it held its fifth nuclear test, launched several missiles and – most believe – assassinated its leader’s half-brother using a chemical weapon. Most recently, it has conducted its first test of what it claims is an inter-continental ballistic missile, a move that – if verified – increases the threat it can pose to its enemies and ratchets up international tensions. But why is North Korea such a problem – and why can no solution be found? The US and the Soviets divided Korea into two at the end of World War Two. Reunification talks failed and by 1948 there were two separate governments. The 1950-53 Korean War entrenched the split. North Korea’s first leader was Kim Il-sung, a communist who presided over a one-party state, and the grandfather of current leader Kim Jong-un. It remains one of the world’s poorest nations. Its economy is centrally…