US-China: North Korean Nuclear Dance Card

Session: Regency Room
Date/Time: February 19, 2013 / 15:30-16:45

Moderator: Simon Long, The Economist

Speakers:

Kim Sung-han, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Gary Samore, Harvard University
Shi Yinhong, Renmin University of China

Rapporteur: Paolo Venneri, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Press Release Brief

1. North Korea’s relationships have progressively worsened throughout the last decade, including its relationship with China.

2. The option of reintroducing the presence of US nuclear weapons into South Korea is viewed as unwise by most parties involved.

3. Chinese and US cooperation is agreed to be crucial in the denuclearization of North Korea and a clear possibility, but there is disagreement over what this cooperation would involve.

4. South Korea should play a leading role in the resolution of the North Korean question, possibly bringing attention to the benefits of a reunified Korea.

5. North Korea has always been a strategic liability for China, and has become even more so as it continues to ignore Chinese interests and suggestions.