북한의 대미정책과 한국의 대외관계 추진 방향

South Korea s Foreign affairs Direction for North Korea s Foreign Policy Strategies toward the US. : Focus on the Seoul s foreign relations with Washington and Beijing for Peace on the Korean Peninsula

Pyongyang claims to have successfully conducted its six nuclear test last September and to have tested an Inter-continental ballistic missile (ICBM, the ‘Hwasong-15’) on November 29. Furthermore, the Kim Jung-Un regime said provocatively that it can finally put an end to ‘Washington’s threats of nuclear war’. Pyongyang has persistently pursued two essential goals toward Washington, a peace treaty with the US, and the withdrawal of the US armed forces in the South. First, North Korea unilaterally nullified the armistice agreement from 1953 that guaranteed peace on the Korean peninsula. North Korea has also insisted on the withdrawal of US forces on the Korean Peninsula, and has continually criticized the Joint US-South Korean military exercises held every year. Finally, Kim Jong-un’s regime continues to demand recognition as a nuclear state. Carefully, I would comment that North Korea intends to make the Trump administration elevate North Korean policy to its top priority in order to make a grand bargain in which the Washington will guarantee regime security. To achieve such a deal, the North has continued missile tests with the recent launch of ICBMs (Inter-continental ballistic missile). At the same time, current leaders in the United States and China tends to rely on strong nationalism and trade protectionalism in order to attain legitimacy and economic growth. In these circumstances, this article would try to ascertain the appropriate direction for Seoul s policy to take in relations with Washington and Beijing to ensure peace on the Korean peninsula. Also, the paper shows that there are still problems to be solved in inter-Korean relations, the North’s nuclear development and long range missile programs.