Preview: This article begins by describing the broad strategic challenge that North Korea, once armed with an operational nuclear weapons capability, poses to the United States and its allies. It then reviews the history of maritime clashes between North and South Korea in the Yellow Sea (“West Sea” in Korean) and describes the ongoing risk of violent provocations and war. Finally, the article proposes measures that could reduce tension, arguing that they would be mutually beneficial to the United States, South Korea, North Korea, and China, and would contribute to, rather than detract from, an ideal U.S.-led strategy for deterring and containing a nuclear-armed North Korea.
