Won Gon Park, the Chair of the EAI North Korea Studies Center, examines the potential impact of the U.S. presidential election on the stability of the Korean Peninsula. He highlights that regardless of the election outcome, the U.S. will pursue a “major transformation” in its alliance management system. Park urges the ROK government to prepare for U.S. pressure on South Korea to assume a greater role in defending itself against the North Korean threat. Additionally, he emphasizes that the ultimate goal of South Korea’s DPRK policy should remain complete denuclearization, and asserts that the primary stakeholders in the denuclearization negotiations should shift from solely the U.S. and DPRK to mainly involving the two Koreas.

* Also available for download in Korean.