The National Interest:
As North and South Korea negotiate an “end of war” declaration and press the United States to do the same, Washington must remember that, though testing has paused, North Korea remains one of the world’s most dangerous threats. An “end of war” declaration with the United States is meaningless since war on the peninsula was a UN police action naming North Korea a hostile aggressor.
The UN resolution called on member countries to defend the South and the United States led the effort. For war on the peninsula to end, the DPRK would have to convince UN members that it is no longer a hostile power. That would be difficult for Pyongyang to prove, given the manifold dangers Kim Jong-un and his regime still pose.
Much focus has been on Pyongyang’s growing nuclear arsenal and ballistic-missile programs which threaten Seoul and Tokyo. But that is just one threat. The other, more clear and present threat is Kim’s continued proliferation of conventional and unconventional weapons to the world’s worst regimes.
