North Korea's ongoing nuclear missile tests prove it's time to normalize relations

BY Bennett Ramberg

Pyongyang’s recent flurry of missile tests — most recently, a submarine-launched ballistic missile South Korea says North Korea launched Tuesday — and the apparent resumption of nuclear weapons materials production at the Yongbyon reactor are reminders that North Korea remains a central perennial problem befuddling U.S. foreign policy. Despite North Korea's acknowledged shaky economy — further weakened by strong international economic sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic — leader Kim Jong Un’s commitment to maintaining the country’s bomb program remains unbowed.

The Biden administration’s ill-defined “calibrated approach” looks unlikely to move the nuclear-elimination needle. Nonetheless, Washington continues soldiering on — reaching out to China for help with its efforts to draw North Korea back into disarmament negotiations.

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Bennett Ramberg is a member of the Pacific Council. He served as a policy analyst in the Bureau of Politico-Military Affairs in the George H.W. Bush administration. He is the author of three books on international politics, including “Nuclear Power Plants as Weapons for the Enemy.”

This article was originally published by NBCNews

The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the Pacific Council.