PrintUSIP Co-convenes "Risk Reduction and Confidence-Building on the Korean Peninsula" conference
On January 19, USIP’s Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention (CAP) co-convened a conference titled “Risk Reduction and Confidence-Building on the Korean Peninsula: Challenges, Opportunities, and Implications for Regional Stability.” The other co-organizers were the Institute for Foreign Policy Analysis (lead organizer) and the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security. This one-day conference took place against the backdrop of Chinese President Hu Jintao’s visit to the United States where stabilizing the Korean Peninsula was a core focus of the summit agenda. The Honorable Hyun In-taek, South Korean Minister of Unification, was the main keynote speaker.
This closed one-day conference explored ways to reduce risk (including reducing proliferation risks) and build confidence on the Korean Peninsula. Participants included policymakers and subject matter experts from the United States, South Korea, and China.
The conference’s primary goals were to:
- map the current security environment in Northeast Asia in the wake of the Cheonan incident, the shelling of Yeonpyeong Island, and leadership changes in Pyongyang, including options for reducing risks and strengthening deterrence over the near- and mid-term;
- consider the priorities and opportunities for revamping crisis management and related security arrangements to enhance stability on the Korean Peninsula;
- identify realistic strategies for countering North Korean nuclear capabilities and proliferation potential via bilateral, trilateral, and wider multilateral mechanisms; and
- discuss how a potential new security structure in Northeast Asia could help to create and sustain conditions conducive to a lasting peace regime on and around the Korean Peninsula.
Explore Further
- Center for Conflict Analysis and Prevention
- Trilateral Dialogue in Northeast Asia
- Countries and Regions: Korean Peninsula
- Read about the Cheonan incident in John Park's "On the Issues: The Sinking of South Korea's Naval Vessel"