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First, a nuclear threat to U.S. territory, then an American failure of Nerve, then a peace

treaty, then withdrawal of U.S. troops, then Confederation, then unification.

This is a long game that the North Koreans have been playing since the 1980s.

This week on War College, we tackle one simple question.

What does North Korea really want. You're listening to Reuters War College, a discussion of the world in conflict,

focusing on the stories behind the front lines. Hello and welcome to War College. I'm your host Matthew Gaul. North Korea, the Hermit Kingdom.

It's been in the headlines a lot lately as North Korean leader Kim Jong-un threatens war and U.S. President

Donald Trump inches an American carrier strike group closer to the country. Here in the US, the think pieces and hot

takes fly, as some claim North Korea is a dictatorship bent on world domination,

and others urge people to remember a history of American carpet bombing and broken treaties.

Here to help us cut through some of the noise and get a glimpse inside the mind of Pyongyang is B.R. Myers.

Myers is an analyst of North Korean ideology at Dongsau University in Boussaint, South Korea.

Biar, thank you so much for joining us.

Thank you very much, Matthew.

One of the things I want to start us off with, and I really want to give people, I context for this conversation and one of the reasons I wanted to talk to you is that you're often described as a contrarian when it comes to the subject of North Korea.

Why do people say that about you do you think? Well you know I said

the six party talks would not amount to anything. I said the sunshine policy

...