North Korea launched the Hwaseong 12, an intermediate-range ballistic missile over Japan on August 29 and reissued its warning that it may launch missiles towards the waters near Guam. It reportedly took five hours for the numerous U.S. missile defense radars in the region to identify the missile. The United States says it will shoot down North Korea’s missiles if launched toward Guam, but experts express skepticism about the ability of the U.S.’ missile defense system to intercept them.

North Korea’s missile test comes in the midst of U.S. and South Korean joint military exercise, Ulchi Freedom Guardian (UFG), which simulates the collapse of North Korea. The UFG also follows weeks of threats by the Trump administration to take military action against North Korea.

A long history of negotiations and military tensions between the United States and North Korea precedes the current crisis. In part two of this audio series, Ramsay Liem, Gregory Elich and Christine Ahn discuss the story of US-DPRK relations during the Clinton administration, followed by the George W Bush administration, then the Obama administration. This segment also features selections of an interview with Bruce Cumings and Christine Hong by Democracy Now!, as well as an interview with Leon Sigal by Asia Pacific Forum.