The Trump administration’s aggressive nuclear posture will deal a blow to nuclear non-proliferation.

The White House said any talks with North Korea must lead to an end to its nuclear program after senior officials from Pyongyang visiting South Korea said on Sunday their government was open to talks with the United States.

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.

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.

We cannot be too optimistic about the outcome of the recent “rapprochement” between South Korea and North Korea, because its base is fragile. The choice of sanctions as an attempt to halt North Korea’s nuclear programs has only benefited the regime at the expense of North Korean citizens.