South Korea may discover the inherent, potentially tragic, drawback of relying on the security protection that a distant great power provides. Crucial decisions about the ROK’s future will be made in Washington, not Seoul.

South Korea’s efforts to have North Korea participate in the PyeongChang Winter Olympics may have yielded an opportunity for dialogue in the form of Kim Jong-un’s recent summit invitation to South Korean President Moon Jae-in. If President Moon accepts, a South-North summit could provide an opportunity to test whether diplomacy can resolve the crisis over North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs.

The 2018 U.S. Nuclear Posture Review makes a number of claims about growing Chinese military capabilities and the need for even greater investment in nuclear modernization to counter these supposed threats. Benjamin Reynolds analyzes the key points of this document that relate to China.

Pence met with Japanese Prime Minister Abe on his way to the Winter Olympics in S. Korea.

Foreign ministers from around 20 nations gather on Tuesday to discuss how to curb North Korea’s nuclear ambitions through diplomatic and financial pressure, but China, seen as a key player in any long-term solution, will be absent.

The US is not attending talks between North and South Korea but its reactions will be as critical and closely watched as those who gather at the tense border for the first time in two years on Tuesday.

North Korea said during rare talks with the South on Tuesday it will send a delegation of high-ranking officials, athletes and a cheering squad to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea next month, according to a senior South Korean official.