A communist country named as one of President Bush's Axis of Evil, this isolationist country, ruled by Kim Jong Il, publicly announced that they had a secret nuclear weapons programme in violation of a 1991 and 1994 treaties. Since October, 2002, they have been making threats and issuing warnings of 'holy war' against the U.S. They further threatened that economic sanctions would be seen as a declaration of war by the U.S.

In December 2002, a North Korean cargo ship destined for Yemen was seized by Spanish forces. On the ship was discovered a shipment of Scud missiles hidden under bags of cement mix.The government of Yemen demanded their weapons, and with U.S. consent, the ship was released on its way to Yemen.