The idea for this book on North Korea and its companion book on South Korea is a look at Korea 60 years after the signing of the armistice that stopped - but did not officially end - the Korean War. By the time an armistice was signed on July 27,1953, more than a million soldiers and civilians had been killed. At the time, U.S. General Mark Wayne Clarkâs headquarters in Tokyo issued a statement addressed to all members of the United Nations Command: "I must tell you as emphatically as I can, that this does not mean immediate or even early withdrawal from Korea. The conflict will not be over until the governments concerned have reached a firm political settlement." Six decades later, peace is still not at hand.
