Sep 26, 2018

While the prospect of a joint-Korean bid for the 2032 Olympic Games is attractive, a number of challenges could keep this proposal from becoming a reality.

May 03, 2018

If the summit with South Korean President Moon opened the door to a denuclearized North Korea, it will be up to President Trump to close the deal on denuclearization. The Panmunjom Declaration is intentionally ambiguous in some regards and any agreement reached at the Trump-Kim summit will be about top down aspirations, rather than a detailed agreement. However, if the summit is successful, there are certain elements we should look for in any agreement, as Troy Stangarone describes.

Apr 11, 2018

If only Nixon could go to China, perhaps only Trump could meet Kim: any other U.S. president would refrain from meeting with Kim Jong-un until after an agreement has been reached to roll back North Korea’s nuclear weapons and missile programs. However, traditional U.S. foreign policy goes against Trump’s unorthodox style. With a firm belief that prior U.S. presidents have handled North Korea incorrectly, an innate desire to do things differently, and a supreme belief in his ability to make a deal, a one-on-one summit is the ideal platform for Trump to put his deal-making skills to the test. Kim also knows that the best chance of striking a deal is in a direct meeting with Trump. Both of these factors suggest that the summit will happen.

Feb 27, 2018

South Korea’s efforts to have North Korea participate in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics may have yielded an opportunity for dialogue in the form of Kim Jong-un’s recent summit invitation to South Korean President Moon Jae-in. If President Moon accepts, a South-North summit could provide an opportunity to test whether diplomacy can resolve the crisis over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

Jan 30, 2018

While there has been focus on North Korean efforts to drive a wedge between the United States and South Korea with its offer to attend the Games, Pyongyang also has domestic and economic reasons for attending the Olympics.

Aug 25, 2017

Building on the cooperation the U.S. and China have developed over the last two years on UN sanctions will be key to denuclearizing North Korea. However, the current sanctions also include loopholes China may need to work with the United States to close should North Korea conduct another nuclear or missile test.

Apr 08, 2013

Under the newly elected leadership of Park Geun-hye, South Korea is poised to transform its relations with China and North Korea through increased engagement.