North Korea’s foreign policymaking and nuclear weapons

Abstract

This paper examines the determinants of North Korea’s foreign policymaking to show why denuclearization efforts continue to fail to curb, let alone end, its nuclear weapons program. Two determinants, namely South Korea’s existential threat and North Korea’s juche ideology, are explored to conclude that ‘‘nuclear North Korea’’ is a natural and non-negotiable manifestation of its foreign policymaking. © 2018 by The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.