한반도 비핵평화체제 실현을 위한 새로운 접근

Abstract

While international sanctions are undergoing, North Korea has conducted 4th and 5th nuclear tests and has test-fired short- to long-range missiles many times in 2016. It aims to sophisticate nuclear weapons and missile capabilities. North Korea becomes a de facto nuclear state. This in turn has changed the nature of the North Korea’s nuclear problem. Structural environments surrounding the North’s nuclear issue have also shifted. The North Korea’s nuclear problem is a multi-dimensional equation with which the two Koreas and the four powers try to find a way of balancing their security and strategic interests among themselves. North Korea proclaimed a ‘nuclear state’ once again at its 7th congress of Worker’s Party of Korea. It no loner refers to denuclearization as Kim Il-sung’s instructions. North Korea has made it clear that it will conduct its strategy toward the United States and policy toward South Korea based upon a nuclear power. For North Korea, nuclear weapons are regarded as the last bastion to ensure a monolithic rule of the Kim’s dictatorship as well as system and regime security. But, since the Kim Young-Sam government, South Korea’s approach to resolve the North’s nuclear problem has ended in failure. It has been devoid of intelligence estimate, policy congruence and long-term strategy. Sometimes it has misjudged the North’s intention to go nuclear. Under the present circumstances where North Korea is a de facto nuclear state, it is necessary to find a clue from the fact that North Korea sticks to the system and regime security and the system maintenance. North Korea continues to insist on the reunification of the fatherland outwardly. In reality, however, it seeks to find a way of coexistence in order to maintain its system. With these in mind, I propose that South Korea should deal with the issue of building a peace regime, that is, how to replace the armistice agreement with a peace agreement, in parallel with the issue of denuclearization of North Korea. The North’s nuclear problem can be finally achieved when South and North Korea is in the state of peaceful coexistence in its truest sense.