Military Review English Edition September-October 2016 | Page 11

KOREA

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un visits the construction site of an orphanage 11 February 2015 in Wonsan, Kangwon Province, North Korea. The
quality of the construction shown in the photo is indicative of the problems faced in North Korea. (Photo courtesy of Rodong Sinmun)

alter the strategic landscape of northeast Asia and significantly affect U.S. interests.
Preparing for collapse or reunification is more
important than predicting it. However, to be clear, I
am not advocating a deliberate effort to overthrow the
North Korean regime; rather, my focus is on preparing
for a collapse or reunification, assuming that at some
point we will face this situation without any direct
effort to bring it about. Preparation is critical due to the
strategic importance of these potential developments.
Without predicting the timing or circumstances of a
collapse or reunification, there are many dimensions of
these situations that we can identify, enabling efforts
now to prepare to resolve an instability crisis.
MILITARY REVIEW  September-October 2016

Although the U.S. and ROK forces maintain a high
state of readiness, produce detailed operational plans,
and conduct rigorous training, they can do more to plan
for and prepare to handle collapse or reunification. With
millions of lives, trillions of dollars, and vital national interests at stake, it is imperative that the United States and
the ROK continue to develop a common understanding
that enables the design and implementation of strategies,
policies, and plans for handling collapse that places active
preparation at their core. The objectives are clear: enable
stabilization of North Korea, enable the Korean people
to decide when and how to reunify, and position the
United States and a unified Korea to sustain one of history’s most successful alliances and, by extension, enable
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