미중갈등 속 바이든 행정부의 대북정책 전망

Abstract

North Korea s nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile program has captured theinternational community s attention beyond the Korean peninsula and became an intensifiedthreat, eroding international security and order for several decades. To deliver a completeresolution to the threat from North Korea, countries with interest in the Korean peninsula,such as the U.S., South Korea, and China, have implemented various behavioral approacheswith North Korea. However, their efforts were unable to prevent North Korea frombecoming a de facto nuclear power state. The Biden administration is pursuing practicaldiplomacy based on calibrated approaches to neutralize threats from North Korea. It expectsto consolidate its relations with traditional allies and partners, such as South Korea and theUnited Nations, for a practical result while potentially seeking a cooperative opportunitywith China. However, the current conflict between the U.S. and China is a negative factor tothe newly proposed North Korea policy by the Biden Administration. By analyzing Chinavia the power transition theory, China can be categorized as a potential challenger to thecurrent order. As the conflict intensifies, China actively seeks to secure supportive states toresist pressure from the U.S. and challenge the existing order. Meanwhile, the U.S. is alsotrying to strengthen cooperation with allies and partners to hinder China s attempt to powerparity which undoubtedly turned the two countries competition into a high-level, two-blocpower struggle.