[Smart Q&A] North Korea-U.S. Summit and Prospects for North Korea

Stephan M. Haggard is the Lawrence and Sallye Krause Professor of Korea-Pacific Studies at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Graduate School of International Relations and is the director of Korea-Pacific Program (KPP). He is the editor of the Journal of East Asian Studies and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Professor Haggard has written extensively on the political economy of North Korea with Marcus Noland, including Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aid, and Reform (2007), Witness to Transformation: Refugee Insights into North Korea (2011), and "Hard Target: Sanctions., Inducements and the Case of North Korea" (2017). Haggard maintains the "North Korea: Witness to Transformation" blog and has a regular column with the Joongang Daily.

Overview

EAI interviewed Professor Stephan Haggard, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of East Asian Studies and Professor at the University of California, San Diego, about the North Korea-U.S. summit held on June 12 and its future repercussions. Professor Haggard criticized the summit's joint statement as unsatisfactory, particularly noting the absence of a specific timeline and objectives for denuclearization. However, he pointed out that the most surprising decision was President Trump's abrupt halt to the South Korea-U.S. joint military exercises, which he characterized as "provocative" "war games." Like other North Korea experts, Professor Haggard stated that there could be various interpretations regarding the factors that drew Kim Jong Un to the negotiating table. While President Trump claims he led Kim Jong Un to the table, it was Kim Jong Un who actively pursued an atmosphere of peace in conjunction with the Olympics. Professor Haggard expressed concern that lowering the pressure on North Korea could delay the North Korea-U.S. negotiation process. He also raised issues concerning economic aspects, such as the easing of sanctions against North Korea, potential economic development models for North Korea, and the challenges of attracting foreign investment due to North Korea's poor protection of property rights. Finally, he concluded the interview by offering his own predictions on how the North Korea-U.S. negotiations might unfold in the future.

[Related Articles]

[Smart Q&A: Stephan Haggard] The Impact and Implication of Economic Sanctions on North Korea

Foreign Policy of the New U.S. Administration, East Asia and the Korean PeninsulaⅠ

[Smart Q&A: Stephan Haggard] The Impact and Implication of Economic Sanctions on North Korea

Attachment: Summit_Interview_Transcript.pdf