Publication

This commentary discusses the question of whether or not North Korea should be recognized as a de facto nuclear power. The author argues that, even after three nuclear tests on the part of North Korea, the international community adheres doggedly to the legal stance that North Korea is a non-nuclear-weapon state under the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT) and must renounce nuclear arms. Given Pyongyang's repeated violations of the treaty this position is well founded. However, given the fact that North Korea has these weapons, the author believes that it is legitimate to ask how long this position can and should be upheld.