Socializing a Nuclear North Korea: Non-traditional security in contemporary Northeast Asia

Abstract

1.) Purpose: We suggest that the international community’s focus needs to shift from traditional security concerns (the nuclear program) to non-traditional (humanitarian concerns) as an avenue to engage in dialogue on improving living conditions for North Koreans within with the country and ensuring a lasting peace in Northeast Asia. 2.) Approach: This article draws on analysis of policy documents, current developments regarding the North Korean nuclear program, and comparative case studies to support its underlying argument. 3.) Findings: This article finds that a change in approach towards a nuclear North Korea aligns with Chinese and other regional actors’ interests for regional stability and allows for a concerted effort to use non-traditional security issues to shape traditional regional security concerns. 4.) Practical Implications: These findings are significant because the international community is on the verge of either accepting that the DPRK is a nuclear power or possibly opting for military intervention on the country’s nuclear program. Consequently, it is important to understand that a nuclear North Korea is more likely to be bound by the obligations of being a ‘normal state’, including support for issues related to human security of its citizens 5.) Originality: This study draws on qualitative evidence, historical precedent, and contemporary comparative cases to offer an original perspective on the North Korean nuclear crisis. Instead of more sanctions, this article argues that North Korea is already a nuclear state and that the international community should focus on encouraging the positive outcomes that this might offer to the people of North Korea, and the East Asia region