Introduction

This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book examines Korean peace regime building from the inter-Korean perspective. It focuses on the role and policies of the four major powers for the construction of a Korean peace regime. The denuclearization of the Korean peninsula should be achieved peacefully through the Six-Party Talks. A peaceful resolution of the nuclear issue, indeed, is a prerequisite to Korea's peace and prosperity. The United States and Japan initially sought a stronger Security Council resolution that would have imposed new sanctions on North Korea. The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) wanted to use the missile launch to grab the world's attention. The chapter proposes that the two Koreas, the United States, and China sign a peace treaty to formally end the Korean War. Conventional wisdom argues that Pyongyang is responsible for the failure because it has broken the agreements that US-DPRK negotiations achieved.