Korean history that was sanitized in the West." But what about the PR? "I thought we'd never get a chance to ask this, but it's come up in the midst of this horrible event," Asken said, referring to the deployment of 28,500 U.S. troops to the peninsula. "You've talked about 'unfinished business' for more than a decade now. There are Americans who have never forgiven you for pulling all U.S. troops out of Korea." This was a reference to Kim Jong Un's concerns about U.S. abandonment, so I thanked Asken and asked him to unpack this. "With the transition of U.S. administrations from the Bush era to the Obama era, you've put Kim Jong Un in the same category as Saddam Hussein, [Muammar] Gaddafi and other bad leaders who came to power after their country's allies pulled out," Asken said. "You do have a fair amount of personal experience here," he said, "and you've said that you can't forget the lessons of history. "Those are not things you want to play on, nor do you want the people in Seoul or the north to forget what happened to them. There are some Americans who get that, and it has brought to light a very painful period for the North Koreans and the Koreans of the south. "I think there's a sense that you were on the wrong side and you have blood on your hands." Most observers have assumed that North Korea does not have the weapons it needs to hit South Korea and U.S. troops. It is unclear how capable it is of hitting the continental U.S. with a nuclear weapon, even one miniaturized. But for all the uncertainty, as we say in these parts, the U.S. has made a habit of trying to "contain" North Korea over the decades. What should we be doing today? "What you should do," Asken replied, "is to avoid the situation in which the North Koreans try to resolve problems with what they call a 'simultaneous freeze' — freezing their plutonium, long-range missiles and uranium enrichment activities simultaneously — and avoiding any defense operations by the United States and South Korea." Asken says there is little reason for U.S. troops on the peninsula. I've suggested to him that the U.S. should begin a dialogue with North Korea immediately. "The Trump administration can start talking with the North Koreans," he said, adding that the regime may be ripe for reform. "There are things to look for," he said, adding that both President Trump and Kim Jong Un can see eye to eye on the situation in Syria. Asken knows a thing or two about dictators and the U.S. military. He was born in South Korea in 1953, the son of an army colonel. He became a U.S. Army intelligence officer, serving two tours in Vietnam. Asken is also a board member of the Korean War Veterans Association. In fact, he spoke last week at its annual conference in Honolulu. He's also a board member of the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation, and has appeared in several documentaries on the Korean War. All told, Asken has seen more than a few tense encounters between the U.S. military and the North Koreans. "North Korea has been engaged in a preemptive war for 60 years, trying to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to deliver nuclear weapons at the United States and in South Korea," he said. "You have a president who has threatened to use nuclear weapons if North Korea doesn't get rid of its nuclear weapons. That's never been done in the history of the U.S. "And now we have this situation in which South Korea is saying they are going to have their own nuclear weapons to protect themselves. The possibility of a situation where North Korea just makes a play and they will be able to deliver an atom bomb to Seoul." The writer Philip Bobbitt's first book, Waging War in Korea, was published in 1977. Special thanks to CNN military analyst and retired Lt. Gen. Jay Garner for his research and help with this article. Neal Conan is the executive producer and host of "Nightline." Related stories: Duping China: South Korea Military Exercises Stir Confrontation With Beijing New Video Shows Notorious North Korean Defector Defector Continues to Shock With Horrific Details of Torture and Public Beheading in North Korea North Korean Defector Reveals Spare Tubes and Cold Baths After Tunnel Escape Mattis: War With N. 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Produced by Will Croxton and Ed O'Keefe. Full Transcript available here: EARHARDT: And we go now to the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Ahead of Tuesday's mid-term elections, we bring you an update. We are just a short hop away from the Korean Demilitarized Zone. North Korea has sent warnings about possible attack on the United States, claiming to have tested an advanced hydrogen bomb. Meanwhile, the White House has announced a major military exercise. Neal Conan is the executive producer and host of "Nightline." EARHARDT: And we go now to the situation on the Korean Peninsula. Ahead of Tuesday's mid-term elections, we bring you an update. We are just a short hop away from the Korean Demilitarized Zone. North Korea has sent warnings about possible attack on the United States, claiming to have tested an advanced hydrogen bomb. Meanwhile, the White House has announced a major military exercise. You have a president who has threatened to use nuclear weapons if North Korea doesn't get rid of its nuclear weapons. That's never been done in the history of the U.S. And now we have this situation in which South Korea is saying they are going to have their own nuclear weapons to protect themselves. The possibility of a situation where North Korea just makes a play and they will be able to deliver an atom bomb to Seoul. And then what happens? Neal Conan, your take? CONAN: Well, let's step back. What do you say to this situation? North Korea has been engaged in a preemptive war for 60 years, trying to develop nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles to deliver nuclear weapons at the United States and in South Korea. You have a president who has threatened to use nuclear weapons if North Korea doesn't get rid of its nuclear weapons. That's never been done in the history of the U.S. And now we have this situation in which South Korea is saying they are going to have their own nuclear weapons to protect themselves. The possibility of a situation where North Korea just makes a play and they will be able to deliver an atom bomb to Seoul. And then what happens? And now I want to go to Park Chul-min. He is the South Korean minister for unification. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) PARK CHUL-MIN (SOUTH KOREAN MINISTER FOR UNION), SAYING: The readiness of our government is absolute, to protect our people, to protect all our people from any attack from the north. Our government is making all-out efforts to prepare to confront any contingency and to protect national security and peace of our people. (END VIDEO CLIP) CONAN: Park Chul-min, your response? PARK CHUL-MIN: Well, you see, North Korea is, at the moment, following an authoritarian path of totalitarianism. And that has a result that is totally inhuman.