Lately convened in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the 32nd ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) issued a Chairman’s Statement that intends to urge denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula and the resumption of dialogue with the Democratic People’s Republic of North Korea (DPRK or North Korea). Specifically, the statement employs the phrase “complete denuclearization (CD) of the Korean Peninsula,” standing in contrast with the pattern of the preceding three years’ usage of “complete, verifiable, and irreversible denuclearization (CVID) of the Korean Peninsula.” The act of citing the term ‘CVID’ has triggered a backlash from North Korea, as it requires a more stringent denuclearization process than ‘CD’ does. The pivot to adopting a more mollified expression indicates a policy posture shared by the South Korean and U.S. governments, designed to improve relations with Pyongyang and handle its nuclear issue through a realistic approach. The evolving circumstances also represent a strong likelihood that the current bilateral impasse will be transcended through a revitalized North Korea-U.S. summit diplomacy, with a phased approach to pragmatically manage North Korea’s nuclear capabilities as a solution to the nuclear challenges posed by the hermit kingdom.

1. An Outlook for Relationship between North Korea and the U.S.: Revitalization of North Korea-U.S. Summit Diplomacy

2. An Outlook for North Korean Nuclear Talks: Realistic Control through ‘Simultaneous and Parallel’ Approaches

3. Policy Considerations