Gerald Geunwook Lee’s research while affiliated with Sogang University and other places

North Korea has been pursuing a nuclear program for more than a decade and the world has been watching the expansion of its ambitions, with a major focus on possible nuclear trafficking to terror groups. However, Pyongyang's nuclear activities —its choices of delayed nuclear test, self-claimed nuclear status, and most of all its sequence of nuclear test and nuclear announcement—testify that North Korea cannot attract terror groups, even though it is interested in selling the nuclear devices. With its nuclear sequence—a nuclear announcement comes first and the nuclear test follows —no terrorist organization would pay cash for a made-in-Pyongyang nuclear device. With the nuclear announcements since October 2002 and February 2005, North Korea has been under close watch by the Americans, which repels most terrorist groups. However, the United States has been concerned about Pyongyang's nuclear connections with terror groups, which ironically contributes to North Korea's bargaining position over its mysterious ambition. Therefore, Washington should change its current policy toward Pyongyang, which is not only ineffective but also counterproductive.

South Korea sent troops to Iraq not because of any perceived threat from an Iraqi nuclear programme, but to seek influence over American foreign policy towards North Korea. At no point did the general public support the American invasion and war in Iraq; most South Koreans also opposed sending troops to Iraq. However, the government chose to send first non-combat and later combat troops to Iraq, and the public approved of the former choice and support was growing for the latter. The liberal President Roh Moo-Hyun had to persuade the public on this issue, even in opposition to his core supporters, risking political isolation. What the public and the President aimed at was a peaceful resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue and business opportunities. The national interest that South Korea pursued in sending troops to Iraq was policy influence over the US guarantee not to use military power against North Korea.