Evolution of North Korea's Peace Treaty Proposals and Sino-DPRK Relations Behind the Scenes

Abstract

This paper aims to explore the peace treaties that North Korea has sought with the United States and/or South Korea historically and how Sino-DPRK relations have influenced these treaty proposals. By exploring North Korea''s various treaty proposals in chronological order and scrutinizing Sino-DPRK relations behind the proposals, this paper argues that North Korea''s peace treaty proposals have been considerably opportunistic and situational, consistently changing to achieve strategic goals, and that Sino-DPRK relations invariably have been a significant factor behind the changes. Based on this observation, this paper concludes that North Korea''s primary goal, after the end of the Cold War, fundamentally shifted from forceful reunification of the Korean peninsula to regime survival, and that China increasingly has been taking an active role in signing a peace treaty.