The Obstacles to Renewed Engagement with North Korea

One of the chief obstacles to bringing North Korea back to the table with the U.S. is that Trump poisoned the well with Kim last time.

John Delury makes the case for renewed engagement with North Korea now that Lee Jae-myung has won South Korea’s presidential election:

After five years without dialogue, leaders in Seoul and Washington could resume productive diplomacy with Pyongyang. In theory, Lee and Trump are well suited as a pair to wrangle the North Korean dictator. Trump yearns to make bold televised deals, and his taste for the dramatic appeals to Kim’s desire to command global attention at flashy summits. Lee can be equally brash, and his gritty determination to improve relations with Pyongyang can keep momentum going if and when Trump’s attention flags.

It would be a good idea for the U.S. and South Korea to do as Delury recommends. The U.S. has spent the last six years mostly ignoring North Korea, and during that time North Korea has steadily expanded its nuclear arsenal while relations between Seoul and Pyongyang have deteriorated. Lee’s election is an opportunity for South Korea to revive and expand on the engagement policy that it had under President Moon. The South Korean government could do this with or without U.S. cooperation, but it would be much better if Washington supported the effort.

One of the chief obstacles to bringing North Korea back to the table with the U.S. is that Trump poisoned the well with Kim last time.