Europe and the European Union (EU) are important actors vis-à-vis North Korea. Europe’s evolving policies toward North Korea can be examined as competing impulses oscillating between a notion that North Korea is principally a security challenge and the idea that North Korea is fundamentally a humanitarian and economic development challenge. The competition between these two impulses defines Europe’s general approach in the past and, very likely, in the future. It is useful to further dissect the key issues for both hard and soft power or security impulses. Hard security comprises five major issues: nuclear weapons and missiles; the proliferation of nuclear weapons and missiles off the Korean Peninsula; the use of force; scenarios for sudden change, destabilization or even collapse; and cyber security. These do not constitute the entire constellation of hard security threats posed by North Korea, but they do constitute the major ones, at least from Europe’s vantage point. Likewise,Europe’s view of North Korea as a humanitarian and economic development challenge can be examined further by delving into five soft power issues: humanitarian assistance (especially food and medical assistance); human rights and democracy; training and education exchanges and programs; trade and investment; and the promotion of economic reforms and economic modernization of North Korea. While some of these issues touch upon security or hard power issues, they reflect the spectrum of economic and soft power activities that engage the EU and European states, their private sectors,and their nongovernmental organizations and civil society. While these impulses are at times deeply intertwined, they are isolated here to emphasize distinct issues from a European perspective. In general, the EU is likely to be a ready supporter of a new South Korean engagement policy toward the North. However, given Europe’s present financial crisis, it may also be diverted from playing too forthright a role in such a distant region. Rather, the EU and European states are likely to stake their approach to North Korea on the basis of both South Korean and United States policy. Cleavages in approaches to North Korea need to be minimized, while Europe’s potential positive role needs to be fully employed.