North Korea, led by the young and unpredictable Kim Jong Un, has a small but dangerous stockpile of an estimated 30 nuclear weapons and a growing arsenal of ballistic missiles.
Despite extreme international pressure and sanctions, North Korea has defiantly pursued a nuclear weapons program for decades in a self-described attempt to protect the regime from the security threats posed by adversarial countries. In 2003, North Korea withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and then tested its first nuclear weapon on October 9, 2006. It continues to build its stockpile of nuclear weapons, test short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, and produce fissile material. North Korea has not conducted a nuclear or long-range missile test since 2017.
After a period of heightened tensions between North Korea and United States, President Trump pursued unorthodox diplomatic overtures with North Korea, culminating in bilateral summits in Singapore and Hanoi in 2018 and 2019. However, these summits appeared to focus on pageantry more than substance, and relations again took a turn for the worse as no concrete progress came out of the summits.
Ignoring this problem won’t make it go away. In fact, it will make the situation worse. Working alongside allies, the United States must return to the negotiating table quickly and pursue a pragmatic, step-by-step diplomatic process that all parties can agree on to eventually reach denuclearization and establish peace on the Korean peninsula.
Recent Analysis on North Korea
- Addressing the China Challenge: The Fallacy of Relying on a Cold War Lens for Nuclear Issues September 18, 2024
- “‘북핵 시나리오’ 논의 중대한 진전…한국 핵무장론 억제 방안 모색” September 6, 2024
- Triangular Tensions: U.S., China and the Emerging Russia-North Korea Alliance July 8, 2024
- Putin may need arms from North Korea’s Kim, but what is he willing to give in return? June 18, 2024
- Analysts: US, South Korea Should Be Ready for Russia-North Korea Alliance January 24, 2024
- A Sociological Approach to Proliferation-related Intelligence on North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons January 18, 2024
- Would A Nuclear Weapon Make South Korea Safer? December 4, 2023
- Fact Sheet: North Korea Missile Test Activity November 14, 2023
- How Open-Source Intelligence Can Unlock Nuclear Secrets September 27, 2023
- 전문가들 “김정은 방러, 전방위 군사 협력 현실화…중국 셈법 복잡” September 12, 2023