Preparing for Instability in North Korea: U.S. - China - South Korea Coordination

Presentation
Bonnie Glaser, Senior Fellow, CSIS Freeman Chair in China Studies
Scott Snyder, Director, Center for U.S.-Korea Policy, The Asia Foundation

Discussant
The Honorable Richard Lawless, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asia-Pacific Affairs and
President  & CEO of New Magellan Venture Partners, LLC

Moderated by
Larry Niksch, former Specialist in Asian Affairs, Congressional Research Service

The possibility that North Korea might eventually become a failed state poses a significant threat to regional security and prosperity; yet cooperation between China, South Korea, and the United States on North Korean contingency response has been hobbled by impulses toward political, strategic, and economic competition.  The major impediments to cooperation are differing interests and approaches toward North Korea which have resulted in suspicions and concerns on all sides.  In the report, “Responding to Change on the Korean Peninsula: Impediments to U.S.-China-South Korean Coordination,”  the authors propose a set of policy recommendations for the United States, South Korea, and China aimed at ameliorating mistrust and enhancing prospects for dialogue and cooperation on security issues, including coping with instability in North Korea.  Undertaking this effort will also likely increase the three nations’ ability to more effectively coordinate and cooperate on other matters relating to North Korea, particularly denuclearization.