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Changing Kim Jong Un's behavior calls for change in U.S. policy

By David Maxwell
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seen delivering a speech on the 76th anniversary of North Korea's founding on September 9, 2024. File Photo by KCNA/EPA-EFE
North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is seen delivering a speech on the 76th anniversary of North Korea's founding on September 9, 2024. File Photo by KCNA/EPA-EFE

Jan. 21 (UPI) -- The United States must never fear to engage in dialogue and actions that challenge the status quo of its North Korea policy. The time has come to disrupt traditional approaches, which have failed to yield progress, and instead focus on empowering the Korean people to achieve liberty, dignity, and unification. The oppressive Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State, led by Kim Jong Un, continues to perpetuate suffering while posing a grave threat to global security.

Kim Jong Un's nuclear arsenal is not a bargaining chip he will relinquish. It is the foundation of his regime's ability to survive through his revolutionary quest to dominate the Korean peninsula. This leaves no room for peaceful coexistence. The only way forward is to empower the Korean people to create conditions for change that lead to a free and unified Korea. Traditional North Korean policies must be disrupted in favor of bold, proactive measures that prioritize human rights, strategic disruption, and unification as the path to peace and stability.

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The only way to change Kim's behavior is through pressure from within North Korea. If he will not change his behavior, it is up to the Korean people in the north to change him.

Kim's regime is an imminent threat to regional and global security

The persistence of Kim Jong Un's nuclear ambitions and his political warfare strategy and blackmail diplomacy destabilize Northeast Asia and threaten global peace. The traditional policy of containment and negotiation has only emboldened the regime, allowing it to expand its capabilities. Disrupting this approach requires a commitment to dismantling the regime's tools of oppression and aggression by empowering those who suffer under its rule.

Human rights as a catalyst for change

The North Korean regime thrives on denying its citizens their basic human rights. Through indoctrination, forced labor, and systemic repression, the regime maintains its iron grip on power. A human rights-focused approach -- one that educates the Korean people in the North about their universal rights and equips them with tools to resist -- can erode the regime's control and ignite a grassroots movement for freedom. This shift in strategy is both a moral imperative and a practical means of undermining the regime's legitimacy. The pressure on Kim will be immense because the only thing he fears more than the combined South Korean and U.S. militaries is the Korean people in the North armed with knowledge and information.

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Unification is the only path to denuclearization

History has shown that Kim Jong Un will not voluntarily abandon his nuclear weapons. The path to a denuclearized Korean peninsula lies in unification under a free and democratic government. A free and unified Korea can ensure the dismantling of nuclear capabilities while fostering regional stability. Disrupting traditional policies means embracing unification as the ultimate goal, rather than viewing it as a distant aspiration. The current domestic political turmoil does not have to cast aside the 8.15 Unification Doctrine put forward by the Yoon administration. When the upheaval subsides, South Korea's democracy will be stronger and an example of freedom.

The moral responsibility of the U.S. and South Korea

The division of Korea is a legacy of Cold War geopolitics, and the U.S. bears a moral responsibility to support the Korean people's quest for freedom and unification. The suffering endured by millions under the Kim family regime is a direct result of policies that prioritize regime survival over human dignity. By adopting a bold new approach, the U.S. can rectify its historical role and fulfill its commitment to universal human rights.

Strategic interests align with moral imperatives

A free and unified Korea would serve as a powerful ally in Northeast Asia, counterbalancing authoritarian regimes and promoting democratic values. The strategic benefits of unification -- from enhanced security to economic integration -- align with the moral imperative to end the suffering of the Korean people in the north. Disrupting traditional policies to achieve this outcome is not only ethical but strategically sound.

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Conclusion

The time to disrupt traditional North Korean policy is now. Decades of ineffective strategies have left millions of Koreans in the North to suffer under tyranny while the regime's threats grow unchecked. The U.S. and South Korea must lead with boldness and clarity, prioritizing human rights, strategic disruption, and unification. A free and unified Korea represents not just an aspiration but a necessary reality for global peace and regional stability. It is time to reject the failed approaches of the past and embrace a future where the Korean people are empowered to shape their destiny and achieve their fundamental human right of self-determination of government. By disrupting tradition, the U.S. can pave the way for a brighter, freer world which includes a new nation, a United Republic of Korea (UROK).

David Maxwell is a retired U.S. Army Special Forces Colonel who has spent more than 30 years in the Asia Pacific region. He specializes in Northeast Asian Security Affairs and irregular, unconventional, and political warfare. He is Vice President of the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy and a Senior Fellow at the Global Peace Foundation. Following retirement, he was Associate Director of the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University. He is on the board of directors of the Committee for Human Rights in North Korea and the OSS Society and is a contributing editor to Small Wars Journal.

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