| Sumario: | North Korea is perilously close to developing strategic nuclear weapons capable of hitting the United States and its allies in East Asia. Since their first nuclear test in 2006, North Korea has struggled to perfect delivery systems, but Kim Jong-un's regime now appears to be close. Sung Chull Kim, Michael Cohen, and the contributors to this volume contend that the time to prevent North Korea from getting this capability is virtually over, and instead scholars and policymakers must turn their attention to how to deter North Korea. The United States, South Korea, and Japan must also come to terms with the fact their North Korea will be able to deter them with its nuclear arsenal. How will the erratic Kim Jong-un behave when North Korea does develop the capability to hit medium- and long-range targets with nuclear weapons; how will the United States, South Korea, and China respond; and what will this mean for regional stability in the short term and long term? The international group of authors in this volume address these questions and offer a timely analysis of the consequences of an operational North Korean nuclear capability for international security.
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