What's Next for Korea?

July 10, 2018

United States President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un issued a joint statement after their meeting last month committing to establishing new U.S.-DPRK relations, including building a lasting, stable peace regime on the Korean Peninsula and working toward complete denuclearization.

In this Call with the Experts podcast, James Dobbins, Bruce W. Bennett, and Michael J. Mazarr discuss the meaning of this historic summit and what to expect next. RAND's media relations director Jeffrey Hiday moderates the call.

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  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un shakes hands with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Capella Hotel on Sentosa island in Singapore, June 12, 2018

    Why This Wasn't Kim's Father's—or Grandfather's—Summit

    Jun 13, 2018

    James Dobbins

    This is the third time the United States and North Korea have started down a path toward denuclearization and normalization of relations. The difference now is that Trump and Kim have committed themselves earlier on in the process and more publicly than their predecessors did.

  • A journalist reads a local newspaper showing an article on the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un near St. Regis hotel in Singapore, June 11, 2018

    Kim-Trump Summit Rife with Opportunity for U.S.

    Jun 11, 2018

    Michael J. Mazarr

    The growing costs of planning for Korean military contingencies place a burden on U.S. defense resources. If Tuesday's summit becomes a step toward eventual guarantees against aggression, the U.S. could remove a major Korean conflict from the top rungs of its defense planning roster, freeing resources for other worries.

  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un waves to the crowd during a military parade in Pyongyang, April 15, 2012

    What Will Kim Jong Un Want and What He Might Give

    Mar 12, 2018

    James Dobbins

    Verifiable denuclearization is an impossible goal, not just because Kim Jong Un may not agree, but because such a deal couldn't be fully verified if he did. But this doesn't mean there is no deal worth making for America.

  • American and North Korean flags facing opposite directions

    Understanding and Shaping the Ongoing Korea Crisis

    Mar 26, 2018

    In this Events @ RAND podcast, Bruce W. Bennett offers RAND alumni and supporters his analysis of recent developments in North Korea and suggests new strategies for putting pressure on Kim Jong-un at the negotiating table.

  • Map of the Korean Peninsula and Japan

    The Korean Peninsula: Three Dangerous Scenarios

    May 30, 2018

    Michael J. Mazarr, Gian Gentile, et al.

    An analysis of three potential security challenges on the Korean Peninsula points to rising threats that will pose significant demands on the U.S. Army. The United States needs to think in new ways about how it should deter North Korea and prepare for a possible conflict on the peninsula.