The Korean Odyssey

  * What lesson can we learn from efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula over the past 30 years? @iStock     Il Young Jeong Research Professor_Institute of Social Sciences_Sogang University This year, the North Korean nuclear problem continues to be a pressing issue not just for security on the Korean Peninsula, but for Northeast Asia and the global non-proliferation regime as well. Even though denuclearization negotiations have been suspended since the failed Hanoi U.S.-North Korea summit in 2019, discussions about denuclearization policy have never stopped. Recently, however, these discussions have shifted to focus on seeking ways to balance out or deter the North through South Korean nuclear armament. This essay is the first in a three-part series exploring the problems that have arisen over the last 30 years of efforts to denuclearize the peninsula and offers possible solutions. First, I will look for the root causes of the current vicious spiral deterring den...