United States of America vs. North Korea

1953 - ongoing by 2011

Core issue: Ideological conflict between communist regime in North Korea
and the United States over the question of the unification of the Korean peninsula

Type of conflict ending: Conflict ongoing by 2011

The hostile relations between North Korea and the United States of America are rooted in the territorial disputes for the Korean Peninsula. The conflict began in 1950 when North Korea attacked South Korea with the goal of unifying the country under communist rule. The United States aided the South, while the communist China and the Soviet Union aided the North.

In the wake of the Chinese civil war the United States became committed to halt the spread of communism in East Asia. Under the fear of a potential domino effect in Asia, the United States perceived South Korea as an ally in the containment of communism. The United Nations Security Council recognized the crossing of the 38th parallel by the Korean People’s Army as an act of war and authorized a mission under United Nations command, whereby the United States provided 90 percent of its troops.

The war was ended by an armistice agreement, but a peace treaty was never signed. Attempts to resolve the conflict and to conclude a peace agreement failed in 1954, and although the Korean War lasted only three years, it had devastating human costs and lasting political and diplomatic consequences. During the Cold War period, there was limited diplomatic contact between Pyongyang and Washington. While there was no formal peace between both conflict actors, the armistice agreement that was in place ensured some stability. Numerous lesser escalations between the two countries emerged during the Cold War. North Korea not only carried out attacks on South Korean targets like the Blue House, but also against US military targets including an intelligence ship and aircraft in 1968.

The North Korean government perceived the United States as their primary enemy. For Kim Il-Sung the American presence in South Korea was perceived as a direct threat, especially because of his goal to unify Korea under communist rule. The United States changed its foreign policy position towards North Korea depending on the priorities of the incumbent administration. Under President Kennedy, the United States was highly involved in establishing and maintaining democracy in South Korea, while under Nixon the United States became less invested in South Korea as it followed a policy of “stepping out of” Asia.

his relationship changed however following the end of the Cold War. The threat of the spread of communism was diminished with the fall of the USSR but there were still security concerns between the United States and North Korea that were underpinned by the unresolved question of the unification of Korea. A new issue of nuclear weapons emerged in the early 1990s as a consequence of security competition between the conflict actors. North Korea announced its withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1993 (the withdrawal was completed in 2003, and in 2006, first nuclear tests were conducted). The withdrawal from the NPT treaty precipitated more involvement of the United States to the Korean Peninsula. This coincided with a change in administration in the United States. While the Clinton administration had endorsed the Sunshine Policy that sought to normalize relations between North and South Korea, his successor, the Bush administration, decided to reverse the policy and instead followed a uncompromising policy approach against Kim Jong Il.

North Korea remained consistent in its refusal to offer any concessions on the nuclear armament issue as such arms were perceived as a means to deter a US attack. By 2011, the United States and North Korea remained in conflict over the future of the Korean Peninsula.

Sources

Im, Hyug Baeg, 2006. “The US role in Korean democracy and security since cold war era”, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, 6 (2), 157–187.

Kim, M., 2016. “South Korea’s China Policy, Evolving Sino-ROK Relations, and Their Implications for East Asian Security: South Korea, China, East Asian Security”, Pacific Focus, 31 (1), 56–78.

Lin, L., Y, Zhao, M. Ogawa, J. Hoge and B.Y. Kim, 2009. “Whose History? An Analysis of the Korean War in History Textbooks from the United States, South Korea, Japan, and China”, The Social Studies, 100 (5), 222–232.

Maass, P., 2003. “New Deal”, New Republic, 229 (25), 16–19.

Smith, M., 2013. “The Korean Conflict and the United States National Security”, Pepperdine Policy Review, Vol. 6, 1–25.

Work, C., 2018. “U.S. Soldiers Might Be Stuck in Korea Forever. Foreign Policy. Accessed 5 October 2019: https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/05/01/u-s-soldiers-might-be-stuck-in-korea-forever.