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U.S. Foreign Policy Toward North Korea: Next Steps : Report of an Independent Task Force Sponsored by the Council on Foreigh Relations
US Foreign Policy Toward North Korea Next Steps Report of an Independent Task Force Sponsored by the Council on Foreigh Relations Author:Morton I. Abramowitz, James T. Laney The Korean peninsula remains one of the world's most dangerous places. While North Korea has an army of 1.2 million troops and holds Seoul hostage with its missiles and artillery, Pyongyang is in desperate straits after a decade of economic decline, food shortages, and diplomatic isolation. In 1998, former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry tr... more »aveled to Pyongyang to propose increasing outside aid from the United States, South Korea, and Japan in exchange for the North Korea's promise to reduce military provocations. The third in a series of influential Task Force Reports on Korea Policy, this study argues that in spite of tensions the United States should continue to support South Korea's engagement policy and keep Perry's proposal on the table. The Task Force recommends that should a missile launch take place in the near future, the United States and its allies should take a new approach to Pyongyang, including enhancing U.S.-Japan and South Korean deterrence against other North Korean threats, suspending new South Korean investment in North Korea, and placing new Japanese restrictions on financial transfers to the North. In suggesting the possibility of gradually reducing the danger on the Korean peninsula, this report is crucial in the discussion of U.S.-North Korean economic relations. Report of an Independent Task Force« less