U.S. and South Korea Need to Be in Lock Step on North Korea
Lindsey Ford on Channel 4 News
On January 9, 2018, ASPI Director of Political-Security Affairs Lindsey Ford spoke with Channel 4 News about South Korean President Moon Jae-in's diplomatic approach towards North Korea and the prospect of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula.
In light of recent talks between North and South Korea, both sides have “agreed to look at ways to diffuse tensions around the border.” However, Ford warns that “we need to be pretty cautious in our optimism about what’s next.” Though “the Trump administration has been quite consistent in saying that they want to see full denuclearization of the Korean peninsula,” Ford suggests “this may no longer be a realistic goal.” She recommends more practical goalposts for the near term, “things like a freeze in North Korea’s ballistic missile and nuclear programs and testing.”
Ford is skeptical about whether North Korea is “actually willing to give the types of things that would make a real [long-term] deal possible.” At the same time, the U.S. and South Korea administrations will have to navigate their differences in how to approach Pyongyang. According to Ford, “the success of any deal [will] really revolve around the allies staying in lock step” with one another. (4 min., 6 sec)