Donald Trump Must Make A “Big, Beautiful Deal” With North Korea
North Korea’s nuclear threat cannot be ignored any longer. And Washington must recognize that it cannot continue dealing with the North Korean nuclear threat the way it has done in the last several decades.
Over the past decade, North Korea has continued quietly advancing its robust and growing nuclear weapons arsenal. Now, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) believes that North Korea’s military is ready to transition from a primarily research and development mode to the full-rate production of North Korea’s most potent delivery system to date, the Hwasong-19.
Indeed, the Hwasong-19 is one of the best examples of just how complete North Korea’s nuclear weapons arsenal really is. Pyongyang not only possesses highly sophisticated nuclear warheads, but armed with the Hwasong-19, the North Korean military now has a reliable long-range solid-propellant missile that can directly hit the United States.
There’s No Stopping North Korea’s Nuclear Program Anymore
Since North Korea announced its final withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003—and successfully tested its first nuclear device in 2006—Western policymakers have attempted to coerce Pyongyang into abandoning its nuclear program via sanctions and other countermeasures. Now that North Korea has already developed the capability to hit the United States and will never relinquish it, Washington should be ready to abandon these sanctions. Now that the North Korean government believes its Hwasong-19 is viable, they have a sufficiently advanced defense industrial base where they will be able to churn many of these missiles out. What’s more, the way in which North Korea moves their missiles around their country makes it very difficult for U.S. intelligence to track and target.
Admiral Samuel Paparo, the commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), has argued that there is insufficient evidence showing that the North Koreans have successfully paired a nuclear warhead that can survive a round trip atop an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). But this is a dangerous assumption to make, given the level of sophistication of the North Korean nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program—as well as the level of commitment to that program by North Korea’s leadership.
Another factor contributing to North Korea’s nuclear program has been the ongoing war in Ukraine. Throughout the three-year conflict, the Russian Federation has enhanced its relationship with North Korea. There are reports of large numbers of North Korean soldiers being sent to fight alongside Russians on the frontline, and we know for a fact that large quantities of North Korean weapons and other defense products have been sent to Russia to be used in Ukraine. In exchange for this assistance, it is highly likely that Pyongyang has extracted significant concessions from Moscow, perhaps in the form of increased military and nuclear technology sharing from Russia.
Whatever setbacks the North Korean nuclear weapons and ballistic missile program may have encountered over the years, the Russians likely have assisted the North Korean military in overcoming them. Therefore, the United States must not only prepare for a North Korea that can launch direct nuclear attacks at the U.S. homeland, but must also seek a new strategy for dealing with North Korea.
Under former President Joe Biden, this was an impossible prospect. What’s more, as long as the Ukraine War was ongoing—and Pyongyang supported Moscow in skirting Western sanctions—the chances of resetting relations were essentially zero.
The Time For Negotiations is Now
But with Donald Trump once again in office, things are changing. It is likely that Trump will end the Ukraine War soon. Once that conflict ends, the close relationship between Russia and North Korea will likely become more distant. Likewise, the relations between Washington and Moscow would become enhanced—such that the Trump White House might gain assistance from the Kremlin in getting North Korea’s leadership to restart the famed Trump-Kim Jong-un peace talks.
North Korea’s nuclear threat cannot be ignored any longer. And Washington must recognize that it cannot continue dealing with the North Korean nuclear threat the way it has done in the last several decades. Demanding denuclearization by North Korea is a non-starter. And acting as though the North Korean nuclear arsenal is something that can be sanctioned out of existence is a ridiculous policy—and has helped to ensure that Pyongyang’s arsenal and capabilities are far greater now than they were when the sanctions were first put in place.
Trump Must Convince Kim to Work Together
Trump must convince Kim Jong-un to willingly reduce his commitment to a nuclear weapons program. That can only be done by meeting Kim and treating him as a negotiating partner rather than an implacable enemy. The U.S. has excellent diplomatic and economic leverage over North Korea to compel them to negotiate and stabilize their relationship with the United States—and, in so doing, reduce the threat of nuclear attacks on the U.S. and its allies.
Once Trump successfully ends the Ukraine War, then he must focus on dealing with Kim Jong-un. As the Hwasong-19 has shown, time is not on America’s side.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert, a Senior National Security Editor at The National Interest as well as a Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest, and a contributor at Popular Mechanics, consults regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including the Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, the Asia Times, and countless others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.