US Foreign Policy toward North Korea: A Way Ahead

It is clear that while both the Clinton and Bush administrations have taken different approaches, in both cases U.S. policy has narrowly focused on the nuclear issue, tended to ignore or otherwise not meet the interests of North Korea, and ineffectively leveraged other regional players. Not surprisingly, the results have been the same. North Korea remains an adversarial country with nuclear ambitions, and comprehensive U.S. interests have not been met. The solution to the problem is not to drum up old policies but to develop a new policy -- a way ahead that addresses the shortcomings of past policies. More precisely, substantial and enduring results can only be realized when the United States develops a policy based on a comprehensive analysis of its own national security strategy and other supporting policy documents, as well as those of the Group of Four four key regional players -- Japan, China, South Korea, and Russia and North Korea. This analysis must include identifying and acknowledging the legitimate interests of North Korea, comparing them to U.S. security interests, and defining the challenges and incorporating opportunities the United States has in working with regional parties in addressing U.S. interests. The article is divided into the following sections A History of Policy Failure National Security Interests of the United States National Security Interests of China National Security Interests of Japan National Security Interests of South Korea National Security Interests of Russia National Security Interests of the DPRK, including its conventional military, nuclear weapons, and economic development Comparing U.S. Interests to the Group of Four with regard to terrorism, WMD proliferation, regional stability, human dignityhuman rights, and economic development and Comparing U.S. Interests to North Korean Interests.