Menu

United States Institute of Peace

Home ▶ Events

A New Direction for U.S. Policy on North Korea

Peace and Security on the Korean Peninsula

Date: Wednesday, September 9, 2020 / Time: 5:00pm - 6:30pm 

Center: Asia Center

Read the Event Coverage
Share This
Print the Page

Since the February 2019 Hanoi Summit failed to reach an agreement, the United States and North Korea have been mired in a diplomatic stalemate with minimal negotiations. At the same time, Pyongyang has continued to advance its nuclear and ballistic missile programs while reversing many of the inter-Korean tension reduction measures achieved in 2018. The next U.S. administration, whether Republican or Democratic, will have the opportunity to break this deadlock with a North Korean regime that is increasingly confident in its nuclear capabilities but still insecure about its longevity.

The next U.S. administration will encounter a North Korean regime that has promised to demonstrate a “new strategic weapon” in its nuclear weapons program and vowed to withstand the international sanctions campaign.  The policy approach taken by the next administration will help determine whether Pyongyang will cling to its nuclear weapons or if the two countries will set a new course for building peace and reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula.

On September 9, USIP hosted a discussion with experts on what Washington has done right and wrong on North Korea and what new strategies and options the next administration should consider in dealing practically with North Korea to make real progress.

Join the conversation on Twitter with #NKPolicyOptions. 

Speakers

Christine Ahn
Founder and Executive Director, Women Cross DMZ; Co-Founder, Korea Peace Network

Suzanne Dimaggio
Chair, Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft; Senior Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Markus Garlauskas
Nonresident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council; Former National Intelligence Officer for North Korea, Office of the Director for National Intelligence

Van Jackson
Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Victoria University of Wellington; Former Senior Defense Strategist, U.S. Department of Defense

Ankit Panda
Stanton Senior Fellow, Nuclear Policy Program, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

Frank Aum, moderator
Senior Expert, North Korea, U.S. Institute of Peace

Related Publications

How Enhancing Civil Nuclear Energy Safety Can Benefit the Korean Peninsula

How Enhancing Civil Nuclear Energy Safety Can Benefit the Korean Peninsula

Wednesday, October 16, 2024

By: Kayla Orta

At the 28th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2023, the United States and South Korea, alongside 18 like-minded countries, endorsed the “Declaration to Triple Nuclear Energy.” By joining the initiative, the countries agreed to augment domestic nuclear energy production to fight climate change and to promote the safe application of civil nuclear energy at home and abroad. As tensions on the Korean Peninsula rise and U.S.-North Korea and inter-Korean relations remain at a stalemate, however, this commitment could also inspire potential engagement with North Korea beyond traditional security dynamics.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

How Northeast Asian Geopolitics Impact Peace on the Korean Peninsula

How Northeast Asian Geopolitics Impact Peace on the Korean Peninsula

Tuesday, September 17, 2024

By: Bong-geun Jun

Amid today’s renewed great power competition, the Korean Peninsula has entered a new Cold War winter without having enjoyed the spring of the previous post-Cold War era. During the post-Cold War period, the South Korean and U.S. governments anticipated that the seismic changes occurring in Europe would be replicated on the Korean Peninsula. However, over the past 30 years, none of their main policy goals regarding North Korea — such as reform and opening, denuclearization, peace settlement and unification — were fulfilled due to several factors in Northeast Asian geopolitics that favored the status quo. The enduring nature of these factors means the United States and South Korea should adjust their North Korea strategy and goals to enhance peace and security on the Korean Peninsula more effectively.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

Russia’s War and China’s Rise Set a New Path for South Korea-NATO Relations

Russia’s War and China’s Rise Set a New Path for South Korea-NATO Relations

Tuesday, August 20, 2024

By: Geunwook Lee;  Kwang-Jin Kim

July 2024 marked the third time South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol joined a NATO summit along with the leaders of the alliance’s other Indo-Pacific partner countries (Australia, Japan and New Zealand), informally known as the IP4. This represents a new phase in South Korea’s relations with the Atlantic alliance, but building a lasting friendship will take time and requires navigating a series of challenges. Amid an emerging global division of democratic and authoritarian camps and the challenges posed by China and Russia for both the Indo-Pacific and Euro-Atlantic regions, it is incumbent on both Brussels and Seoul to build a more cooperative relationship. That journey, however, has just begun.

Type: Analysis

Global Policy

With Russia’s U.N. Veto, Where Do North Korea Sanctions Go From Here?

With Russia’s U.N. Veto, Where Do North Korea Sanctions Go From Here?

Tuesday, July 30, 2024

By: George A. Lopez

Earlier this spring, Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council proposal to extend the “panel of experts” that had been monitoring the implementation of U.N. sanctions on North Korea’s nuclear and ballistic missile programs since 2009. While many saw the veto coming, the decision stands to majorly disrupt not just the enforcement of U.N. sanctions on North Korea but could undermine the effectiveness of U.N. sanctions as a whole. USIP spoke with George Lopez, who served previously on the panel in 2010-2011 and again in 2022-2023, about why Russia vetoed the renewal, what the international community loses now that the panel is finished, and what options there might be to replace it.

Type: Question and Answer

Economics;  Global Policy

View All Publications