Breaking the deadlock on the Korean peninsula

With the Six Party Talks — the main multilateral mechanism to negotiate North Korea’s denuclearisation — moribund since December 2008, the North Korean nuclear issue appears increasingly intractable. North Korea has proceeded with its nuclear program and enshrined its nuclear status in its constitution. And the United States and South Korea continue to see little utility in returning to formal negotiations unless North Korea first shows a credible commitment to dismantling its nuclear program. Such a situation requires that both sides compromise to achieve an entry point to negotiations.