Former US Ambassador Harris: "Negotiations for North Korea Denuclearization No Longer Useful"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Haeyoung] Former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Harry Harris stated on the 3rd (local time) that "the current U.S. policy goal of eliminating North Korea's nuclear weapons through negotiations is no longer useful."

At a webinar hosted by The Washington Times Foundation on the same day, former Ambassador Harris said, "Deterrence through appeasement is not deterrence at all." He served as the U.S. Ambassador to South Korea from July 2018 to January 2021, during the Moon Jae-in administration's active Korean Peninsula peace process.

Former Ambassador Harris identified four things that North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un desires: "sanctions relief, possession of nuclear weapons, weakening of the South Korea-U.S. alliance, and domination of the Korean Peninsula." He added, "We hope diplomacy with North Korea succeeds, but we must acknowledge that hope cannot be the sole course of action," emphasizing, "We should not pursue dialogue with North Korea at the expense of giving up the capability to respond to North Korea's threats."

Regarding North Korea's recent incursion into South Korean airspace using drones, he said, "It was clearly not an act with peaceful intent," and urged, "Dialogue and military readiness must go hand in hand. Idealism must be grounded in reality." He further stated, "We should not ease sanctions or reduce joint military exercises just to bring North Korea to the negotiating table," calling such actions "useless."

He also stressed the need to strengthen defenses against North Korea's drone attacks. He suggested establishing drone engagement rules and conducting simulations so that tactical-level units can respond immediately without higher approval. He expressed particular concern about the possibility of cooperation between Iran, which supplied drones to Russia, and North Korea.

Regarding South Korea-U.S. diplomacy since the inauguration of the Yoon Seok-yeol administration, he gave a positive assessment. Former Ambassador Harris said, "It is very encouraging that President Yoon places the South Korea-U.S. alliance at the center of his diplomatic policy," adding, "I am pleased that President Yoon has restored joint military exercises and emphasized joint readiness, focusing on defending South Korea from North Korea's threats."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.