The Korean peninsula has had a troubled history but nothing quite compares with the tragedy of its American-inspired division in the 20th century; the war that inexorably followed; or the permanent conflict that has ensued. Michael Pembroke's timely book tells the story of the Korean peninsula with compassion for the people of the North and South. The failed invasion of North Korea by US-led forces in late 1950 and the unrelenting three-year long bombing campaign of North Korean cities, towns and villages - 'every thing that moved [and] every brick standing on top of another' - help explain why the Pyongyang regime is, and always has been, determined to develop a credible nuclear deterrent...

Geography and history. The accursed land -- Missionaries and gunboats -- Origins of conflict. A fateful division -- Two states emerge -- China goes to war. Power play -- American hubris -- China crosses the Yalu -- American calamity -- The American response. Imagination and attrition -- The bombing campaign -- Nuclear near miss -- Secrets and lies -- Propaganda prisoners -- The legacy. New world order -- Dystopia -- Afterword: The Battle for Maryang San.