Must Read: North Korea Contingency Planning and U.S.-ROK Cooperation

Although it seems to have genetic origins in plenty of other things I’ve read by Lankov, Noland, etc., combining and updating some already excellent works only makes the Asia Society’s / U.S.-Korea Institute’s final product even better. I’ll quote the executive summary and let you read the rest on your own:

– Current internal dynamics in North Korea suggest a growing need for international cooperation on contingency planning, led by policy coordination between South Korea and the United States.

– An effective response to potential instability in North Korea requires a whole-of government approach that integrates military and nonmilitary aspects of
contingency planning.

– Interagency cooperation within both Seoul and Washington will be increasingly important as instability unfolds.

– The United States and South Korea should affirm a common vision for the future of the Korean peninsula and coordinate strategies regarding how to attain the agreed-upon end state.

– U.S.-ROK planning should incorporate efforts to have dialogue with China with the purpose of reassuring China that any future scenario will not harm Chinese interests. Such a dialogue might focus initially on practical coordination to deal with specific shared concerns.

– Any response to instability in North Korea will depend on the stage of contingency and functional issue, and requires a clear understanding of the
appropriate form and sequencing of cooperation.

– Post-conflict stabilization tasks in North Korea include military disarmament, dismantlement of WMD and securing North Korea’s long-term economic
development in close collaboration with all stakeholders. [opens in pdf]

Big hat tip to KCJ for this one.