Kirjahaku

An analysis of the Republic of Korea (ROK) defense reform plan (DRP), this paper discusses the background of the DRP and the manpower problem it needs to address. It presents the author's estimates of the force changes that would occur and how those forces appear to fit the force requirements the ROK will likely face in the coming years. It concludes by recommending steps the ROK could take to manage the key risks identified.

A North Korean government collapse would have serious consequences, including a humanitarian disaster and civil war. The Republic of Korea and the United States can help mitigate the consequences, seeking unification by being prepared to deliver humanitarian aid in the North, stop conflict, demilitarize the North Korean military over time, secure and eliminate North Korean weapons of mass destruction, and manage Chinese intervention.

This report examines what could be done to convince North Korean elites that unification would be good for them. It describes five areas of concern that North Korean elites would likely have about the outcomes of unification and proposes policies that the Republic of Korea government could adopt that would give North Korean elites hope for an acceptable unification outcome.

In this report, the author describes seven challenges to any potential unification of Korea and then outlines nine alternative paths to such unification. These nine paths span three possible unification contexts (major war, collapse of North Korea's regime, or peace). The author assesses the likelihood of each path and recommends actions that South Korea and the United States could take to achieve a more favorable outcome.