Whose Court Is the Ball In? Making Progress on Peace and Denuclearization With North Korea

Since late 2019, North Korea has rejected U.S. requests for engagement. Even after the Biden administration’s rollout of a “calibrated, practical” approach to diplomacy and its stated willingness to meet “anywhere anytime without preconditions,” the North Korean government has rebuffed U.S. offers of a meeting to brief its policy. Instead, Pyongyang is laser-focused on combatting the spread of COVID and has sought to deepen ties with Beijing to mitigate the pandemic, as well as the effects of global sanctions and a crippled economy.

North Korea’s unwillingness or hesitation to meet with the United States raises questions about North Korea’s motivations, fears and calculus — as well as whether Washington and Seoul’s best course of action is greater outreach, pressure or patience. On August 4, USIP and the Embassy of the Republic of Korea co-hosted a discussion on the current state of diplomacy with North Korea.

What factors are constraining the potential for engagement? What realistic steps can be taken to minimize those factors and increase the likelihood of productive diplomacy? Can South Korea or China play a helpful role in connecting the two sides? What are the risks of not engaging?

Speakers:

Ki-jung Kim

President, Institute of National Security Strategy

Joseph Yun

Senior Advisor, U.S. Institute of Peace

Gee Dong Lee

Senior Research Fellow, Institute of National Security Strategy

Moon-soo Yang

Vice President for Academic Affairs and Professor, University of North Korean Studies

Hee-Seung Na

Former President, Korea Railroad Research Institute

Kathleen Stephens

President and CEO, Korea Economic Institute of America

Markus Garlauskas

Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council

Frank Aum, moderator

Senior Expert, Northeast Asia, U.S. Institute of Peace

For more information about this event, please visit

Connect with us!

Subscribe to our YouTube channel

Newsletters

The United States Institute of Peace is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical, and essential for U.S. and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict. To reduce future crises and the need for costly interventions, USIP works with governments and civil societies to help their countries solve their own problems peacefully. The Institute provides expertise, training, analysis, and support to those who are working to build a more peaceful, inclusive world.