Since the end of World War II, primarily through the actions of external powers, the Korean peninsula has been divided--with North and South Korea engaged in a competition for the heart and soul of the Korean nation and international legitimacy. President Bill Clinton called the peninsula one of the scariest places on earth and some experts have referred to it as one of the last vestiges of the Cold War.

Now, well into the first decade of the 21st century and many years after the end of the Cold War, President Clinton's observation remains accurate. In fact, the argument can...