ABSTRACT
This final chapter will assess the nature of the “North Korea threat” in three areas: the military threat, weapons proliferation, and fate of the regime. Regarding the military threat, the chapter looks at how KPA’s threat regional security, arguing that despite the major shortfalls in readiness, the KPA still poses a significant military threat by with the application of warfighting concepts and doctrines designed to attain an asymmetric edge over technologically superior opponents. Then the impact of North Korea’s military modernization on proliferation will be discussed. The chapter also demonstrates how the state of the KPA’s readiness combined with the political, economic, and societal developments creates risks concerning the regime’s future. The chapter ends by arguing the critical need for the US, South Korea, and Japan to work together and formulate new strategies to effectively deter and deal with the multifaceted threats posed by North Korea.
