Growing Divergence: North Korea’s Evolving Nuclear Strategy and the US–South Korea Alliance

Abstract: In response to North Korea’s escalating nuclear and missile threats, the US and South Korea have taken measures to reinforce extended deterrence: the Washington Declaration, the Nuclear Consultative Group, and the enhanced visibility of US strategic assets around the Korean Peninsula. Despite these steps, South Korea’s public confidence in US extended deterrence commitments has declined. This article argues that this decline is rooted in growing divergence between US and South Korean interpretations of North Korea’s evolving nuclear strategy and the appropriate responses to it.