What Is the Root Cause of the North Korean Nuclear Program?

Abstract

It is important to identify the real intention of North Korea's nuclear program in order to predict the nation's future nuclear posture and more effectively engage in nuclear talks and negotiations with its government. Nuclear proliferation cases have mainly been explained using three theoretical frameworks: the security model, the domestic politics model, and the symbol/norms model. However, these models have serious shortcomings in explaining the root cause of North Korea's nuclear program. This article examines North Korea's political and economic situation during the critical periods of the first and second North Korean nuclear crises and argues that the nation's nuclear program can be explained using the regime survival model.