부산대학교 도서관

This article seeks to explain the root cause of North Korea’s behavior associated with its recent initiatives of diplomatic engagement. Contrary to the popular account in the United States that the Trump administration’s policy of maximum pressure has brought North Korea to the negotiating table, this article argues that Kim Jong Un’s desire to consolidate his regime’s legitimacy through economic development after completing his preeminent goal of becoming a nuclear power is a driving force in Pyongyang’s sudden turn to diplomacy in 2018. Based on the analysis of the North Korean economy under the Kim Jong Un regime as well as Kim’s public statements, it points out the flaws of the popular account and reveals that this article’s main claim is empirically supported and thus is more compelling.