Between Engagement and Hardline: Reevaluating U.S. Foreign Policy Toward North Korea

Abstract

The primary goal of this thesis is to reevaluate past U.S. foreign policy toward North Korea and propose future strategies to address the persistent threats and crises posed by the regime. Following a review of the Korean Peninsula’s modern history since World War II and the existing academic literature, this study analyzes the engagement and hardline approaches adopted by U.S. administrations from President Clinton to President Biden, offering a critical assessment of their achievements and limitations. It then examines North Korea’s contemporary realities—including extreme poverty, systematic human rights violations, and the two prominent roles of nuclear weapons—to propose a revised policy framework that includes both engagement and hardline approaches. By drawing lessons from previous administrations and recognizing the Kim Jong Un regime’s sole policy goal—the survival of the regime—this thesis concludes that the present and future U.S. administrations must adopt a posture of strategic skepticism rather than one rooted in optimism.