ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the areas of consensus into specific policy recommendations to both the US and the South Korean governments. The basic objective of inter-Korean dialogue is tension reduction and confidence-building, leading ultimately to national unification. To agree to North Korean demands for its suspension might also be to admit implicitly the North's main point: that the Republic of Korea-U.S. military alliance is the primary barrier to peace in Korea. The US role in Asia has never mirrored its role in Europe, the latter revolved around the shifting tides of the Soviet threat; the former has encompassed a wide variety of security issues involving a host of potential aggressors. Once the issue of a non-use of force declaration and other initial subjects are resolved, the focus of inter-Korean security talks will probably shift to a few key military issues. The nature of North Korea's reciprocal offers will determine how to deal with "Team Spirit."
