The focus of this study is the motivation for North Korea's nuclear development under Kim Jong-il. This study compares his program with that of the Libyan leader Moammar Gaddafi. North Korea's strategy focused on the means to deliver a warhead to targets in the U.S. and to America's Northeast Asian allies, Japan and South Korea. This study attempts to verify the rationale for North Korea's nuclear development while stressing the importance of the country's approach. Using qualitative comparative analysis, this paper explains North Korean nuclear development by listing variables, including the capacity to make good on its dreams and the motivation to succeed, comparing the behavior of the Libyan and the North Korean regimes and the Libyan program with that of North Korea. Factors range from the need of the Kim family to survive against domestic opposition to the North's complexes surrounded by hostile powers. It also considers the collapse of Communist rule in the East Bloc and failed efforts at reaching agreement on the North's nuclear program. The article accomplishes this goal by outlining the defensive versus offensive purposes of North Korea's nuclear program in terms of the inspiration for reunification of the Korean peninsula, comparing that motivation with the need of Gaddafi to unite his people behind his leadership. Suggesting a new set of factors for proliferation, the paper makes clear the implications of North Korea's nuclear policy for the future not only of North Korea but for both North and South Korea, the entire Korean peninsula. During the presidency of Moon Jae-in, there was a widespread perception that the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs should treat those who contributed to the establishment of the North Korean regime as subjects of national merit. The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), however, has always been motivated by the dream of establishing its own revisionist system. Thus, it is more important than ever to analyze the nature of the North Korean regime and its nuclear programs