North Korea No Longer a Priority? U.S. Parties Revamp Platforms with No Mention of Denuclearization

As the U.S. presidential election in November approaches, both the Democratic and Republican parties have made notable changes to their new party platforms, mainly by removing references to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

The Democrats published its updated 92-page policy platform on its website on Monday. While it emphasizes the need to deter North Korea’s current provocations and refusal to engage in dialogue, it omits the term “denuclearization of North Korea.”

The new platform highlights that President Joe Biden has worked with allies to respond to North Korea’s nuclear program development in violation of United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions. It also stresses the importance of strengthening trilateral cooperation with South Korea and Japan to maintain peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

However, unlike the 2020 platform, the current document does not mention references to terms such as “goals for denuclearization of North Korea” and “human rights issues in North Korea.” The 2020 platform stated, “We will mobilize all diplomatic means to advance the long-term goal of denuclearizing North Korea.”

Similarly, the Republican Party’s new platform follows a similar trend by omitting any mention of the Korean Peninsula or North Korea. The previous platform included calls for “full accountability for North Korea’s nuclear development and demands for the dismantling of its nuclear weapons program.” In contrast, the new platform solely focuses on pursuing a foreign policy centered on American interests.