[EAI-MOFA Roundtable] ⑥ Washington's Shocking Pivot: Is the Demand for Denuclearization Over?

Editor's Note

Ankit Panda (Research Fellow, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace) analyzes the structural shift in Washington's strategic discourse, where North Korea is no longer seen merely as a proliferation problem but has graduated to become the United States' "third nuclear-armed adversary" alongside Russia and China. He argues that the "denuclearization era" has effectively closed, necessitating a pragmatic pivot toward "coexistence" as the only viable framework for future engagement, given that Pyongyang views disarmament as mutually exclusive with its survival. Finally, Panda suggests that while President Trump may utilize upcoming political moments like the State of the Union address to signal this policy shift, South Korea must be prepared for potentially abrupt changes in alliance dynamics without prior consultation.