Introduction -- Maintaining a rogue military: North Korea's military capabilities and strategy at the end of the Kim Jong-il era and South Korea's ability to counter the DPRK threat -- The sinking of the Cheonan and the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island: a case study of North Korea's asymmetric northern limit line strategy -- Planning for the unthinkable: countering a North Korean nuclear attack and management of postattack scenarios -- North Korea and support for terrorism: an evolving history -- Conclusion: the impact of the last years of the Kim Jong-il regime on the future of North Korea.