After nearly 60 years of slow but steady progress toward nuclear energy and nuclear weapons, North Korea has greatly accelerated its drive for nuclear weapons with more than 20 missile launches and two nuclear tests in 2016. I will provide a historical perspective of what nuclear capabilities North Korea has, how it obtained them, and why. I will also compare North Korea’s quest with the Iranian nuclear program and address the decisions facing the new U.S. president on how to confront these nuclear threats.