North Korean Denuclearization: Getting It Right

Since the aftermath of the Korean War, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) has pursued a policy of nuclear and military development in order to protect itself from the threat of foreign intervention, namely the United States and its allies. Under Kim Jong-il’s rule, the DPRK signed the non-proliferation treaty (NPT) and worked towards denuclearization with the Six Party Talks; however, efforts halted as the DPRK left the NPT and withdrew from these talks. The situation has only escalated under the rule of his son, Kim Jong-un, as the DPRK has gotten ever closer to a fully-functioning nuclear weapon that could be transported through an ICBM. While the United States sought to deter North Korea’s nuclear development through the traditional theory of deterrence, it is evident that this approach has not been effective. While international efforts towards the denuclearization of the DPRK continue, it is important to understand the factors that have led to the re-invigorated desire for nuclear weapons capability and reasons for why denuclearization and deterrence continue to fail spectacularly. It is only by understanding that nuclear weapons in and of themselves do not work as effective coercive diplomacy as it had during the Cold War and the motivations of international actors as well as the DPRK that the international community could approach this issue more effectively