A pre-emptive strike against North Korea would be a disaster



Opinion A pre-emptive strike against North Korea would be a disaster The Trump administration's openness to military action against the North is concerning Kwak Tae-Hwan February 27, 2017 SHARE COPY LINK FACEBOOK X LINKEDIN MASTODON Griffin Missile Exercise - DVIDSHUB - CC BY 2.0 The U.S.-South Korea alliance is strong, stable and durable, but no matter how durable it is, we must better understand that both countries pursue their own interests. With the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the debate over preemptive strikes against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) has resurged, and it is very serious that the Trump administration's new foreign policy and security teams have publicly discussed preemptive strikes, and thus appear to be open to using military force against North Korea. The U.S.-South Korea alliance is strong, stable and durable, but no matter how durable it is, we must better understand that both countries pursue their own interests. With the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the debate over preemptive strikes against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) has resurged, and it is very serious that the Trump administration's new foreign policy and security teams have publicly discussed preemptive strikes, and thus appear to be open to using military force against North Korea. Become a member for less than $5.75 per week. Unlimited access to all of NK News: reporting, investigations, analysis The NK News Daily Update, an email newsletter to keep you in the loop Searchable archive of all content, photo galleries, special columns Contact NK News reporters with tips or requests for reporting Get unlimited access to all NK News content, including original reporting, investigations, and analyses by our team of DPRK experts. Subscribe now All major cards accepted. No commitments – you can cancel any time. © Korea Risk Group. All rights reserved. No part of this content may be reproduced, distributed, or used for commercial purposes without prior written permission from Korea Risk Group. Get the Daily Update Start your day with the North Korea stories that matter most – as selected by And how should we address you in correspondence? One more step! Please check your inbox, for an email we just sent you, and click on the confirmation message in it to get subscribed to our Daily News Update. Trending

Opinion

A pre-emptive strike against North Korea would be a disaster

The Trump administration's openness to military action against the North is concerning

Kwak Tae-Hwan February 27, 2017

A pre-emptive strike against North Korea would be a disaster

Griffin Missile Exercise - DVIDSHUB - CC BY 2.0

The U.S.-South Korea alliance is strong, stable and durable, but no matter how durable it is, we must better understand that both countries pursue their own interests.

With the inauguration of President Donald Trump, the debate over preemptive strikes against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK or North Korea) has resurged, and it is very serious that the Trump administration's new foreign policy and security teams have publicly discussed preemptive strikes, and thus appear to be open to using military force against North Korea.

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About the Author

Kwak Tae-Hwan

Dr. Kwak Tae-Hwan, Professor Emeritus at Eastern Kentucky University, former President of KINU (Korea Institute for National Unification), Chair-Professor and former Director of IFES, Kyungnam University, is a specialist on Northeast Asian affairs, inter-Korean relations, and Korean peace and unification issues. He taught international relations for over thirty years at Eastern Kentucky University and Korean universities. Dr. Kwak is a recipient of Global Peace Foundation's 2012 Innovative Scholarship for Peace Award. He has worked for more than fifteen NGOs. He is now Chairman, Institute for Korean Peninsula Future Strategies. Chairman of the Korean Peninsula Unification Council through Neutralization, Executive Adviser of the Northeast Asian Community Studies Institute, and President of Korean Unification Strategies Research Council (LA, USA). Dr. Kwak is the author, editor, and co-editor of 31 books, including One Korea: Visions of Korean Unification (Routeledge, 2017), North Korea and Security Cooperation in Northeast Asia (Ashgate, 2014), etc. He has authored more than 250 scholarly articles and is a freelance writer for Korean daily newspapers, monthly magazines, and the Internet.

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