NEWS

2019.07.17

4th AJI Research Frontline Seminar on “Analyzing the Advancement of Nuclear Weapons under the Kim Jong Un Regime and the Situation after the Hanoi Summit”

On June 18, 2019, the 4th AJI Research Frontline Seminar was held, and Dr. Choi Jung Hoon (Senior Researcher, Asia-Japan Research Institute, Ritsumeikan University) gave a presentation titled “Analyzing the Advancement of Nuclear Weapons under the Kim Jong Un Regime and the Situation after the Hanoi Summit”.

Dr. Choi gave a detailed report on how North Korea’s nuclear development has escalated under Kim Jong Un until it has reached an unprecedented level. He argued that the present situation is quite different from conventional cases from the viewpoint of nuclear deterrence theory, in that a tiny country with limited conventional forces has gained leverage in negotiations with the US through its enhanced nuclear capability. However, in spite of the persuasive argument that Kim Jong Un's regime gained greater stability, the US-North Korea talks in Hanoi have ended without any resolution, and the issue of the North’s denuclearization will not be easy to resolve. Dr. Choi’s analysis concluded that negotiations would continue for a long time as the third US-North Korea summit meeting is presently on hold. The session was followed by enthusiastic questions and answers on this vivid issue, which has been a major focus of discussions on East Asia.

Dr. Choi giving his report