President Trump and the Crisis on the Korean Peninsula

Abstract

This paper examines several practical questions about North Korean Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). What assumptions have been applied in dealing with the current Korean Peninsula crisis, and are these appropriate? What is the reality of the North Korean WMD threat? How should the Trump administration respond to this threat, and can it persuade China to prioritize the North Korean issue on its national security agenda? And what role should the upcoming South Korean administration play? If North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs are to be curtailed, these questions must be answered. Both the US and South Korean governments are reviewing their North Korea policies following the latest reckless provocations: the situation is escalating rapidly, and time is short.