The Biden administration¡¯s ¡°intensive multi-stakeholder North Korea policy review¡± is nearing completion, but a simple shift in language could prove to be a stumbling block for any talks with the nuclear-armed country ¡ª and a sign of obstacles toward greater trilateral cooperation with Tokyo and Seoul.
In terms of its endgame with Pyongyang, U.S. President Joe Biden¡¯s team has taken to using the phrasing ¡°denuclearization of North Korea¡± in a number of official documents and speeches, a seemingly subtle pivot from the previous ¡°denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.¡±
While couched in nuance, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un may see this change as a worrying portent from the new U.S. administration.
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