Lost in the Shuffle? Prospects for U.S.-DPRK Engagement

In a departure from the past, the Trump Administration’s National Security Strategy (NSS) and National Defense Strategy (NDS) do not include the denuclearization of North Korean as a goal—nor does the NSS include North Korea in its threat assessment of the Indo-Pacific. A key question in East Asia is how these changes affect U.S. regional force posture and priorities. As Chinese President Xi and President Trump prepare for a high-stakes summit, most security commentary focuses on how the leaders deal with the Taiwan issue, but how to manage North Korea remains a critical issue.

Might Trump be considering another attempt to establish in-person diplomacy with Kim Jong-Un, and how willing is Kim to re-engage? What role, if any, will Seoul or Tokyo play in these calculations, and is the U.S. looking to move away from denuclearization and toward a stable coexistence? And how does Northeast Asia factor into U.S. power projection more broadly, as the U.S. launches attacks on its adversaries in Venezuela and Iran?

Join Asia Society Policy Institute in Washington, D.C. for a two-part event exploring these questions and more. ASPI Senior Vice President Wendy Cutler will deliver introductory remarks. ASPI Director for Political-Security Affairs Emma Chanlett-Avery will moderate a fireside chat between former South Korean Minister for National Defense Kyeong-doo Jeong and Ambassador Kurt Tong to discuss the prospects for further U.S.-North Korean engagement as well as other regional developments surrounding the Korean peninsula. The discussion will be followed by a panel of experts to expand on those themes, including the situation within North Korea, U.S.-South Korea alliance dynamics, and implications for other regional powers, including Japan, China, and Russia. The panel will feature Andrew Yeo, Senior Fellow and the SK-Korea Foundation Chair at the Brookings Institution's Center for East Asia Policy Studies, Jenny Town, Senior Fellow at the Stimson Center and the Director of Stimson's Korea Program and 38 North, Jeonghun Min, Professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy, and Hanbeom Jeong, President of the Korean Association of International Studies, moderated by Mark Manyin, Specialist in Asian Affairs for the Congressional Research Service.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

Get App

Host or Publisher Asia Society Policy Institute