Europe Needs to Update its North Korea Policy (Saeme Kim – RUSI)

Europe’s approach to North Korea has stagnated into strategic irrelevance. Initiated with optimism in the early 2000s, the EU’s policy of ‘critical engagement’ aimed to reduce tensions, uphold non-proliferation norms, and promote human rights. While the essence of critical engagement remains sound in principle, the policy in its current form is outdated and fails to reflect the developments North Korea has undergone over the past two decades. There is a pressing need for a Critical Engagement 2.0 – an updated strategy that takes into account North Korea’s evolving threat posture and its integration into authoritarian networks.

Europe Needs to Update its North Korea Policy | Royal United Services Institute