Li Nan, a Senior Research Fellow at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Institute of American Studies, criticizes the Biden administration’s North Korea policy as undermining the Korean Peninsula’s denuclearization process. Dr. Nan indicates that United States’ “alliance-first approach” puts North Korea on the opposite side of the US and closes the door to bilateral talks. And he points out that prioritizing alliance over denuclearization may hamper prospects of denuclearization as North Korea will highly likely rely on China and Russia and keep improving the conventional military system. Furthermore, he highlights the importance of effective coordination with North Korea by maintaining a favorable diplomatic conditions conducive to talks.

Minju Kwon, Assistant Professor at Chapman University, analyzes the records of the Security Council, keynote speeches at the UN General Assembly, and official remarks of state representatives and foreign ministers to properly assess the competition for legitimacy taking place between Northeast Asian countries in the United Nations. Dr. Kwon demonstrates that China, Taiwan, South Korea, North Korea, and Japan have all strategically utilized core symbolic sources of the UN to legitimize themselves and delegitimize others with respect to UN memberships and permanent memberships of the UN Security Council. She indicates that as China has attempted to strengthen its legitimacy by emphasizing the principle of non-interference based on the UN Charter, it is needed to thoroughly examine China’s five principles for a peaceful Korean Peninsula.