Of all the imminent issues that plague the complex world of international politics, very few are as divisive and migraine-inducing as North Korea. This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, amplifying the importance of keeping in touch with the present and past through events such as the 2023 Korea Global Forum (KGF). Since its first edition, the event has continuously served to gather valuable insights and facilitate discussions with the international community on issues such as peace, prosperity, and the unification of the Korean Peninsula.

The KGF is a Track 1.5 multilateral forum hosted by the Ministry of Unification and the Peace and Democracy Institute at Korea University (KU). The KGF was first hosted in 2010 and it has served as a venue for experts from all backgrounds to congregate, share new insights, and engage in heated debates about the future of the Korean Peninsula. This year’s forum held significant importance as the year 2023 marks the 70th anniversary of the Korean War armistice, the 30th year of North Korea’s declaration to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), and the publication of the 2023 report on North Korean Human Rights Act (NKHRA).

Views on Denuclearizaion

The forum kicked off with a keynote speech from John Mearsheimer (Political scientist, University of Chicago), which highlighted his argument that negotiating North Korea’s denuclearization is near impossible and that it would in fact not be beneficial for peace in the Korean Peninsula. He emphasized reasons such as North Korea’s position surrounded by powerful forces, a divergence in negotiating power due to the ongoing rivalry between China and the U.S., and a high reliance on nuclear deterrence due to a weaker conventional military deterrence. The existence of North Korean nuclear power did not create a threat for South Korea in Mearsheimer’s eyes as he acknowledged the United States’ (U.S.) existing nuclear weapons, and how those would be used against North Korea if it were to initiate a nuclear war. Mearsheimer also mentioned the underlying reasons behind North Korea’s nuclear weapon dependency; their existence serves as a stabilizer in the region.

The panel session following the keynote examined the possible path to North Korea’s denuclearization and its benefits for both the local population and international population. Ankit Panda (Carnegie Endowment on International Peace) introduced the discussion with an important consideration: the simple possession of nuclear weapons is not the only factor in a successful mutually assured destruction (MAD) scenario. Inadvertent nuclear conflict can only be solved with a more stable command structure and arsenal; something North Korea does not have. Panda also mentions the need for stronger international cooperation on denuclearization in response to power divergences in Northeast Asia, with Russia and China’s support for North Korea at the United Nations (UN) Security Council further fueling the need for a common ground.

Other Panelists, such as Akiyama Nobumasa (Hitotsubashi University) and Cheng Xiaohe (Renmin University), agreed with Mearsheimer on the reasons behind North Korea’s nuclear weaponization, yet not with his conclusions that denuclearization is unnecessary. Thomas Schafer, a former German Ambassador to North Korea, showcased the most opposed views to Mearsheimer, as he prompted democratic countries to maintain their current policy direction of critically engaging with North Korea.

Lee Ho Ryung (Korea Institute for Defense Analysis, KU Ph.D) mentioned her comparison of North Korea’s attitude towards denuclearization before and after the Kim Jong-il regime. She mentioned how active denuclearization efforts were initially made for in North Korea, but the situation quickly changed after the development plan for nuclear weapons was revealed. She also further added that it is unlikely for North Korea to give up on its nuclear weapons, mentioning the dictatorship in their regime.

North Korean Human Rights Talks

The NKHRA was first introduced in 2005, and it was passed in after 11 years in 2016. During the 2023 Korea Global Forum, one of the most emphasized facts was that safeguarding human rights in North Korea is also important for South Korea. The forum highlighted the urgency to aid North Koreans with their living conditions and to deter their regimes numerous times, and a mixture of diplomatic and civilian action-based approaches were suggested.

Starting off the second main agenda, Kim Ilhyeok (Hankuk University of Foreign Studies) shared his own experiences as a North Korean defector and the perilous state of North Koreans. Following this was a keynote speech by Michael Kirby, former chair of the Commission of Inquiry in NKHR. He made a statement by openly criticizing the viewpoint of Mearsheimer, describing his attitude towards nuclear weapons as “disproportionate and irrational.” Kirby finalized his message with the statement: the existence and use of nuclear weapons is a breach of universal human rights.

In the following forum discussions, panelists shared different ideas on how to protect North Korean citizens from human rights abuse by its regime. North Korean defector Tae Yongho (Member of the National Assembly, People’s Power Party) shared his thoughts that the Ministry of Unification should be accountable and deal with policies for North Korean defectors, instead of the current responsible people in charge from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He also further added his opinions on North Korean human rights issues being correlated with China’s human rights issues. Furthermore, he made an argument against dependency on China. Zsuza Anna Ferenczy (Rights Without Frontiers) also highlighted a dependence on China, stating that the “interdependency” between China and the rest of the world may give democratic nations enough power to pressure Beijing.

As the forum came to an end, some moments and insights on the ongoing nuclearization of North Korea caught attention. There are different perspectives on North Korean nuclear weapons as the ideas on solving the issue or ensuring safety vary. However, one thing was clear: the dangers of North Korean nuclear weapons on the international stage. To ensure peace in the Korean Peninsula and the world, countries should take their hands off these dangerous and deadly nuclear weapons once and for all.