Dealing with North Korea's nuclear and missile proliferation

The Pyongyang regime may view that the tense situation relating to its nuclear weapons and missile issues is a desperate struggle for life that will determine North Korea's destiny. Nuclear weapons and missiles nle the very last resort to realize its multiple goals. Current national policy tends to disregard the possibility that Pyongyang will use these weapons to unify the two Koreas. This paper examines whether a comprehensive package deal with the North and the Agreed Framework are appropriate measures to deal with these issues. We see that neither seems to be a viable option dire to Pyongyang's brinkmanship tactics. The paper recommends a new outlook on current symptoms regarding the nuclear and missile problems, and new strategic approaches to solve those problems. While there is no effective way to make the North end its nuclear and long-range missile ambitions, we should not give tip efforts to prevent the situation from going from bad to worse. Two approaches are conceivable: employing tactics used to tame a ferocious wild creature; and managing deep economic relations with the North. The first is a supplementation of current diplomatic approach, and the second a supplementation of current economic approaches, more highlighted in this paper. Given the extreme economic hardship Pyongyang faces, its military-centered policy could be turned more towards an economics focus through careful management of our economic relations with the North and by enhancing its economic dependence on the South.