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North Korea is a mysterious, occasionally threatening country to the outside world, to its neighbors and even to its primary economic supporter, China. The extent of China's support for North Korea and the cause of North Korea's dependence on China is reviewed in this presentation. The effectiveness of economic sanctions led by South Korea, Japan and the United States for resolving the nuclear threats is also discussed. In the course of his academic and trade studies, Professor Jeongsik Ko has visited North Korea several times. Professor Ko is a veteran negotiator for the singular Kaesong Industrial Zone, a North Korean border city where more than 125 South Korean companies employ over 55,000 North Koreans. In addition to his faculty position at Pai Chai University in Daejeon, South Korea, Dr. Ko is currently a Visiting Scholar at the University of Iowa's Center for Asia and Pacific Studies. He has enjoyed serving in a number of economic and trade associations within China and Korea and previously served within the Korean Ministry of Unification. He has published several books and papers on the Chinese economic system, foreign investment and commerce's role to resolve conflicts. He first came to Iowa twenty-two years ago. More information on the Iowa City Foreign Relations Council can be found here.