Countering the Risks of North Korean Nuclear Weapons

North Korea has been building up its nuclear weapon and ballistic missile programs in an effort to dominate the Korean Peninsula and become a regional great power. Its weapons pose an existential threat to the Republic of Korea (ROK), and they might soon pose a serious threat to the United States. In this Perspective, the authors argue that the ROK and the United States must establish a firm deterrent against North Korean nuclear weapon use.