[뉴스] Can America Live with a Nuclear North Korea?

If the United States has decided to live with North Korean nuclear weapons, it should take some actions to reduce the risks of those weapons.

[뉴스] North Korea claims another successful test of its hypersonic glide missile tech

North Korea on Monday claimed to have again tested a missile that could become one of the world’s fastest and most accurate weapons – with the potential to ultimately be fitted with a nuclear warhead. Kim Jong Un’s regime successfully tested a hypersonic glide vehicle that was fired aloft using solid-fueled engines on Sunday, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, marking the fourth...

[뉴스] North Korea claims to test underwater nuclear-capable drone after US, South Korea and Japan show off naval might

Seoul, South KoreaCNN — North Korea on Friday claimed it had successfully tested an underwater nuclear weapons system earlier this week in response to naval drills by the United States, South Korea and Japan.

[정치/군사] 2025년 북핵 쟁점: 군축·군비 통제 담론 대응 중심으로

...협상이 시작될 가능성이 극히 낮다고 평가한다. 설사 협상이 진행되더라도 미북 양측이 이를 전략적이기보다 정치적 차원에서 접근함으로써 타협의 과정까지 이를 가능성도 높지 않을 것이다. 협상 개시와 타협에 비관적인 이유는 다음과 같다. 첫째, 북한이 원하는 군축은 자신을 핵확산방지조약(Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, NPT) 상 핵보유국으로 인정해달라는 것이고, 미국의 군비통제적 접근은 북한을 NPT 상 핵 비보유국으로 남기겠다는 것이다. 목표가 상이하므로 타협의 여지가 극히 낮다. 둘째, 설사 미북이 군비통제 방식으로 협상하더라도 타협 가능성이 높다고 단언할 수 없는데, 북한의 비핵화 조건이 ‘전세계의 비핵화’이기 때문이다. 이는 북한이 결국 비핵화를...

[학술논문] Civilian Control and Strategic Force Formation: How Military Autonomy Drives Organizational Change

...and a case study of North Korea's Strategic Rocket Force. Using mixed methods, we investigate how civilian control influences the establishment of specialized organizations for managing strategic weapons. Our analysis reveals that lower civilian control significantly increases the likelihood of separate strategic force formation. The North Korean case demonstrates that even in highly personalistic...

[학술논문] Opening Pandora's Box: Is South Korea's Nuclearization Feasible and Desirable?

... literature by offering a critical yet holistic perspective on the implications of South Korea's nuclearization, urging policymakers, and the public not to view nuclear weapons as a panacea, but rather to weigh their risks and benefits alongside alternative security approaches.

[학술논문] 한미상호방위조약 체결을 위한 이승만 정부의 협상전략

...strategy was able to made the conclusion of the ROK-US Mutual Defense Treaty. Hereafter, the ROK will confront simultaneously in the North Korea's direct threat including asymmetrical weapon and nuclear weapons, with potential threat to the surrounding faced at the same time such as escalation of territorial conflict by neighboring, terror by hostile actor etc. In addition, due to defense reform and...

[학술논문] Lessons from Russia's Nuclear Forward‐Deployment to Belarus for the USA and South Korea

Following Belarus's request, Russia deployed its nuclear weapons to Belarus within one or two years, whereas the USA has not even engaged in discussions on a similar option for South Korea, which has faced an existential nuclear threat from North Korea. This article seeks to extract key insights from Belarus's experience and propose corresponding policy implications for the US–South Korea alliance...

[학술논문] The Economic Rehabilitation of North Korea: Prospects after Kim Jong-il

Despite having signed or agreed to four formal weapon denuclearization agreements, the Kim Jong-il family regime in Pyongyang shows no fundamental willingness to give up its nuclear weapons. Therefore this article looks past the denuclearization issue, and examines the potential for a future rehabilitation of North Korea’s economy in a post -Kim era. Four economic sectors or challenges are analyzed...

[해외] Project Anthracite: Analyzing North Korean Patents and Academic Journals for Evidence of Chemical Weapons Potential

North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs dominate headlines, but another potential WMD risk receives far less sustained scrutiny: chemical weapons (CW). Many governments assess that Pyongyang maintains a CW capability, yet open-source analysis of this area has lagged significantly behind attention to its nuclear program. In operational terms, chemical weapons could offer North Korea distinct advantages...

[해외] North Korea’s Nuclear Weapons and Missile Programs

...has advanced its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs, which has raised the threat Pyongyang poses to the U.S. homeland, U.S. allies in East Asia, and U.S. interests. In April 2026, a U.S. defense official testified that "North Korea's nuclear forces are increasingly capable of targeting the U.S. Homeland, and its missile forces can strike South Korea and Japan with nuclear or conventional...

[해외] Why Japan and South Korea Won’t Go Nuclear

...Vladimir Putin amended the country’s nuclear doctrine in 2024, lowering Moscow’s threshold for nuclear use. North Korea is thought to have 50 nuclear weapons and enough fissile material for 50 more, and technical support from Russia is accelerating its development of a broad suite of mobile-launched, nuclear-tipped cruise and ballistic missiles, as well as nuclear submarines. Meanwhile, U.S. President...

[해외] Project Anthracite: Imagery Search for Possible Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Defense Battalions

...unlikely to be fully achieved using publicly available sources only. One element of this approach is to ascertain the existence and location of dedicated military Battalions (Bns) subordinate to the Nuclear and Chemical Defense Bureau (NCDB). Eight Bns are referenced, two of which are reportedly active (the 17th & 18th), with six in reserve (13th, 14th, 15th 16th, 27th and 36th). Multiple reports about...

[해외] From deadlock to dialogue on the Korean Peninsula: It is time to revisit the idea of North East Asian regional security talks

...Iran—which the USA has attacked twice during nuclear negotiations, with the goals suddenly shifting from non-proliferation to regime change—has likely further reinforced North Korea’s perceived need to hold on to nuclear weapons to ensure its survival. Meanwhile, persistent tensions on the Korean peninsula, the presence of large-scale military forces and nuclear weapons, and doubts about US commitments to...