The Politics and Strategy of an End-of-War Declaration

With the Constitutional power to declare both war and peace, how might the United States Congress play an active role in supporting and shaping the terms of diplomacy with North Korea? The Moon Jae-in administration in Seoul has argued that Seoul and Washington jointly declaring an end to the Korean War could catalyze diplomacy towards peace and denuclearization on the Peninsula. Yet, the prospect of a declaration has opened rifts between liberals and conservatives in both Washington Seoul. How can we distinguish political interest from strategic opportunity? Under what circumstances would an end-of-war declaration be in the strategic interest of the United States and South Korea? How should a declaration fit into a broader peace and denuclearization process? On December 1, 2020, NBR and the Korea Foundation held a briefing on these and other questions related to an end of war declaration on the Korean Peninsula.

Participants

Panelists

Shin-wha Lee
Professor, Department of Political Science
Director, Peace and Democracy Research Institute, Korea University

Jung-Yeop Woo
Research Fellow, Department of Security Strategy Studies, Sejong Institute

Frank Aum
Senior Expert for Northeast Asia, United States Institute of Peace

Moderator
Joshua Nezam
Director of Congressional Affairs, The National Bureau of Asian Research