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offer high adaptability due to their historical experience
sharing, legitimacy and international support, technological
superiority, and resilience.

• Increasing South Korea’s Role: South Korea is confronted
with threats from both China and North Korea, but it
could also mediate disputes between China and the U.S.
and Japan. This is partly because South Korea is confronted
with nuclear threats and partly because it is the only Asian
nation able to mediate disagreements between the U.S. and
China for historical and cultural reasons. As such, South
Korea should continue to play a leading role in advancing
the agenda for upholding and developing the international
disarmament/non-proliferation regime and chairing
consultative bodies for improving regional crisis stability.

Conclusion

North Korea has accelerated nuclear weapon development
as a decisive means to overcome domestic and international
pressures, reorganizing all policies around nuclear weapons.
However, nuclear weapons cannot be the “all-purpose sword.”
Possessing nuclear weapons does not guarantee the status of
a nuclear-armed state, nor could it offset the inferiority of
conventional forces. Attempts to coerce South Korea with
nuclear weapons only strengthened the U.S.-South Korea
alliance’s cohesion, and efforts to enhance nuclear deterrence
reliability inevitably led to increased risks. Despite this,
North Korea continues to amplify risks with nuclear weapons,
significantly aided by China’s backing.

Chapter Two : North Korea’s Nuclear Threat and China’s Backing for North Korea 49