Economic Cooperation Can’t Lead to Denuclearization
Sang Hyun Lee
Summary: A long-awaited second Trump-Kim summit will be held in Hanoi soon. Despite the high expectations, experts are worrying about the possibility that the summit will end in a ‘small deal’ which focuses on removing immediate threats to the United States, including ICBMs, rather than on completely denuclearizing North Korea. The bottom-line for a successful Hanoi summit is that it should be a real starting point for a denuclearization process. Only a vague pledge of ‘complete denuclearization’ will be scored as a failure. Meanwhile, South Korean president Moon Jae-in has pledged to engage in massive economic cooperation with the North. Moon’s plan intends to facilitate North Korea’s denuclearization process by promoting inter-Korean joint economic development projects. This initiative is, however, like putting the cart before the horse. Economic cooperation can’t lead to denuclearization. It will only end in allowing North Korea to have both nuclear weapons and economic prosperity. South Korea should make it clear that it will expand inter-Korean economic cooperation if, and only if, North Korea proceed irreversibly in the denuclearizing process.
Related Publications
-
Disaster Risk Reduction: A Sustainable Path for Inter-Korea Cooperation
Introduction: Even in its current state of pandemic-induced isolation, North Korea continues to engage the international community on climate adaption and disaster risk reduction. South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s renewed […]
-
Chun In-bum on Seoul’s Security Policy Amid the Mounting North Korean Missile Threat
Mitch Shin interviews Chun In-bum on Seoul’s Security Policy Amid the Mounting North Korean Missile Threat.
-
Towards a New Conflict Management System on the Korean Peninsula: A Military Perspective
In this essay, Major General (ret.) Mats Engman assesses the lack of a viable conflict management system on the Korean Peninsula. While the nearly seven decades-old Armistice Agreement and focus […]
-
With New Law on Nuclear Forces Policy, North Korea Says Its Nuclear Status Is ‘Irreversible’
Introduction: A day before the 74th anniversary of the country’s founding, North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jong Un publicly declared that his nuclear weapons are no longer a bargaining chip […]
-
North Korea Threats Make Engaging Quad a Risk Worth Taking for South Korea
Introduction: For much of the past decade, South Korea was inclined to play a balancing act between the U.S. and China while keeping its foreign policy energy primarily focused on […]
-
South Korea’s Foreign Policy in Changing Times: Reversing Course?
Abstract: The tragedy currently unfolding in Ukraine may be a symptom of new dynamics in global geopolitics. The changing balance of power epitomized by the rise of China and the […]