5 Things South Korea Can Do to Wrest Control from Washington

Rajan Menon

Security, Asia

A glance at a map of the Korean Peninsula shows why the interests of Washington and Seoul diverge when it comes to preventive war.

I have never met South Korea’s president, Moon Jae-in; nor am I likely to have the opportunity. Even if that were to happen somehow, the most I could expect is a handshake and a perfunctory exchange of pleasantries. He certainly wouldn’t ask me for foreign-policy advice. South Korea does not lack for savvy experts on statecraft, and he would, and should, turn to them. Ultimately, South Koreans must decide their country’s policies.

Still, as the crisis on the Korean Peninsula has been heating up, I have had extended conversations with South Korean friends and officials, current and former. I have a learned a great deal from them, but I have been reluctant to opine on what their government should—and should not—do. They understand the significance of North Korea’s quest for nuclear weapons better than I, and it would be presumptuous for an outsider to provide unsolicited advice. But my interlocutors haven’t always let me off the hook. Some have said, in effect, “We’ve provided our assessment. Now tell us what precisely you would do in our circumstances.”

Here is how I have responded:

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