Mel Gurtov, Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Portland State University, spoke to a World Affairs Council of Oregon lunch time audience on Tuesday, 2/14. The topic was what does the accession of Kim Jong Un to the leadership of North Korea mean or, as their more catchy title put it, “The New Kim on the Block: Prospects for North Korea and the Nuclear Issue.”
First, Gurtov repeatedly stressed the confusion factor, as in “nobody really knows what is going on in North Koreas” and we should be “wary of decisive statements about what is happening there.”
Second, what we do know is that there has been no change in the priorities of the regime, which, in general priority order, are (1) the security of the regime, (2) the national security of North Korea, and (3) economic development
Gurtov recommended a US policy of engagement over confrontation, and suggested that the US diplomatically recognize North Korea and open an embassy there.
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