The Biden Administration's North Korean Policy: Disarray between the Reality and the Principle

Park Won Gon

(wongon@ewha.ac.kr)

Associate Professor, North Korean Studies, 

Ewha Womans University

English Abstract

Over the past year, the Biden administration's North Korean policy has been consistent with the Obama administration's "strategic patience." As the U.S. has not taken any active measures against North Korea, North Korea has been increasing, diversifying, and multiplying its nuclear capabilities while refusing to negotiate. The Biden administration's passive and static North Korean policy reflects the state of chaos in U.S. foreign policy as a whole. During the Biden administration, which failed to overcome Trumpism fully, conflicts between internationalism and nationalism continued. The Biden administration is lost between pursuing an ideal principle of nuclear anti-proliferation and following the practical need to prioritize protecting the U.S. mainland. South Korea should adhere to its goal of denuclearizing North Korea in any case. To this end, it is necessary to help the U.S. with like-minded countries to restore liberal international order. Moreover, South Korea must prioritize expanding its deterrence capabilities against North Korea's nuclear weapons.