APLN Policy Brief 74

The following is a summary. Click on the adjacent link to download the full brief.

Professor Bong-Geun argues that policymakers and analysts must not only focus on the denuclearization of North Korea but on strengthening military deterrence against North Korean military threats and on reducing and eliminating North Korean nuclear security risks.

He recommends immediate steps to initiate diplomatic efforts, including:

• South Korea, the US, and/or the international community to engage in security talks with North Korea as Pyongyang has shown interest in nuclear security and US-led Cooperative Threat Reduction programs in the past.
• Civilian nuclear security experts and NGOs to begin informal nuclear security dialogues with North Korean counterparts, or build on existing talks, and create an environment conducive to formal dialogue.
• Concerned countries to work in collaboration with the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism (GICNT), the Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI), and INTERPOL, to prevent illegal transfers of North Korean nuclear materials and technologies.

About the Author

Bong-Geun Jun is a professor and director-general of the Department of National Security and Unification Studies at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy. Previously, he was a policy advisor to the Minister of Unification, visiting scholar at Keio University, secretary to the president for international affairs at the Presidential Office, and a professional staffer at the Asia Foundation’s Center for U.S.-Korea Policy. His research areas include the North Korean nuclear issue, inter-Korean relations, non-proliferation, nuclear security, and nuclear energy policies.

Image: Pixabay stock, Gerd Altmann.