Conventional Threat Reduction on the Korean Peninsula: Toward a More Ambitious Agenda

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Conventional Threat Reduction on the Korean Peninsula: Toward a More Ambitious Agenda

It is hard to visualize an enduring peace between North and South Korea that does not include robust measures to reduce the threat of conventional war.

By Richard Sokolsky

Published on Mar 8, 2019

Source: 38 North

The failure of US President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at last week’s summit to reach an agreement on denuclearization and steps to build a “lasting and stable peace regime” between the two Koreas, as called for in last June’s Singapore Summit declaration, heightens the importance of North and South Korea making further progress in their efforts to create a comprehensive peace and security regime on the Korean Peninsula. Unfortunately, the Trump administration has sought to slow down this initiative, so it would not get in front of stalled US-DPRK denuclearization negotiations. With the prospect that these negotiations could be on a slow track for some time, the two Koreas, with the support of the US, should shift to a higher gear in their discussions on confidence building measures (CBMs) and launch a dialogue on conventional force reductions to further reduce the risk of war....

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This article was originally published by 38 North.

About the Author

Richard Sokolsky

Nonresident Senior Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Program

Richard Sokolsky is a nonresident senior fellow in Carnegie’s Russia and Eurasia Program. His work focuses on U.S. policy toward Russia in the wake of the Ukraine crisis.

Recent Work

Paper
Russia’s National Security Narrative: All Quiet on the Eastern Front
- Eugene Rumer, Richard Sokolsky
Commentary
Putin’s War Against Ukraine and the Balance of Power in Europe
- Eugene Rumer, Richard Sokolsky

Political Reform Foreign Policy Nuclear Policy Arms Control East Asia South Korea North Korea

Carnegie India does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

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