Despite continued strains on its economy, North Korea has yet to relinquish its
nuclear weapons program. Coupled with such unwavering determination and
tangible actions in the form of nuclear and missile tests, the perception that North
Korea is only a threat within the region of the Korean peninsula and its
immediate vicinity is antiquated. In fact, given the possibilities of North Korea
exporting its missile or nuclear weapons technology to states such as Syria and
Iran, ignoring the implications of the security threat posed by Pyongyang as
global in scope would be committing a dangerous fallacy. Without exaggerating
the threat through ulterior motives far removed from pursuing peace and stability
in the region, one needs to set concrete principles on which to base a coherent
policy toward North Korea. This would mean correctly identifying the threat
from North Korea’s arsenals, as well as departing from a highly paternalistic view
of the North that only seeks to make Seoul more vulnerable to the security threat.
In particular, coordinated bilateral cooperation between the respective administrations
of Presidents Lee Myung-bak and Barack Obama may act as an
auspicious harbinger to the possible resolution of the North Korean security
threat.