In Defense of North Korea Sanctions

Abstract

South Korean President Moon Jae-In's administration has sought sanctions relief for North Korea, but South Korea's allies have rejected those solicitations. This paper formalizes the allies' anti-relief impulses. It argues both against sanctions critiques and on behalf of sanctions. First, it disputes common sanction critiques, arguing that: 1) the humanitarian crisis in North Korea is the fault of the regime's choices, not sanctions; 2) sanctions have in fact been somewhat effective; and 3) North Korean leader Kim Jong Un is not a reformer. Second, this paper defends sanctions, because they: 1) express the international community's moral rejection of North Korean totalitarianism; 2) constrict North Korean economic growth in the strategic interest of South Korea and its partner democracies; 3) deter other states from following North Korea's nuclear and missile path; 4) give teeth to United Nations Security Council resolutions; and 5) punish North Korea for international law (UNSCR) violations.