





Key players discuss what's led to the current crisis, how it might be resolved, and whether President Bush's policy can work.	Inside the baffling "Hermit Kingdom," an interview with a North Korean defector, and more on the North's "ineffable otherness."	An overview of the threats, deceptions, and diplomatic ploys that have shaped U.S.-North Korea relations in the past decade.	Does North Korea have the bomb? A closer look at the DPRK's nuclear weapons programs and its export of missile technology.

Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers.

Additional funding for "Kim's Nuclear Gamble" is provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

introduction : analyses : the north koreans : chronology : nuclear capabilities
interviews : readings & links : discussion : producer's chat
teacher's guide : tapes & transcripts : press reaction : credits : privacy policy
FRONTLINE : wgbh : pbsi

Kim's Nuclear Gamble

The world is running out of time to strike a peace-preserving deal with North Korea's strange and reclusive leader Kim Jong Il. For ten years threats deceptions and diplomatic ploys have shaped U.S. relations with the Hermit Kingdom. Now what happens next depends on the outcome of a raging debate within the Bush administration over how best to handle Chairman Kim. FRONTLINE traces the delicate maneuvers and clumsy turns that have brought the world to the brink of a nuclear showdown in Asia.

published april 10, 2003