North Korea

In 1987, North Korea bombed Korean Air Flight 858, killing 115 people. For its role in the bombing and its history of other terrorist acts, North Korea was designated as a state sponsor of terrorism from 1988 to 2008. In 2008, North Korea was taken off the list of state sponsors of terrorism, not because most of the reasons cited in the State Department had changed. Instead, the decision was purely diplomatic and based on the nuclear agreement reached as a result of the Six-Party Talks. The agreement fell apart because North Korea did not hold up its end of this bargain. North Korea is a rogue state which engages in all sorts of nefarious activities. The North Korean regime is involved in international organized crime, perpetrates terrible human rights abuses on its own citizens, and continually engages in internationally provocative actions. Its nuclear capabilities remain an ever-present threat for its neighbors and for the United States. North Korea has not held back from conducting nuclear tests, engaging in cyber attacks, and ratcheting up military tensions with South Korea. North Korea's continuation of its nuclear and ballistic missile programs is a direct violation of numerous U.N. Security Council resolutions and previously held commitments. Even more disturbing, because of the regime's desperation, its need for hard currency make proliferation and extortion an ongoing threat.