Filed Under: China, Human Rights, Japan, North Korea, Northeast Asia, Publications, Six-Party Talks, South Korea

Ironically, given the current political tensions in the region, Abe could end up having his first bilateral East Asian
summit with none other than North Korea’s Kim Jong Un—neither of whom have yet been invited to Beijing, though for entirely different reasons. ~ Dennis P. Halpin

 

With the recent round of Japan-North Korea informal talks in China last weekend and reported hopes for another round of formal bilateral negotiations in the near future, Dennis P. Halpin examines the possible motivations driving this seeming rapprochement.

Download the USKI Policy Brief: “Abe Plays the North Korea Card,” by Dennis P. Halpin.

Dennis P. Halpin is currently a visiting scholar at the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). He served as a Peace Corps volunteer in South Korea, U.S. consul in Pusan, and a House Foreign Affairs Committee staff member for over twelve years.