Korean Security in a Changing East Asia

Since its partition in the 1950s, the Korean peninsula has directly or indirectly shaped the broader security relations between regional powerhouses, and the recent test of a nuclear weapon by the North Korean regime has heightened tensions across the world. This study draws upon contributions from a diverse array of experts who offer their perspectives on the region's complex network of alliances and hostilities. The authors discuss the future of the region, the potential for military conflict and a new arms race, and the ways to maintain peace and stability.

Terence Roehrig is associate professor in the National Security Decision Making Department at the U.S. Naval War College. He is the author ofFrom Deterrence to Engagement: The U.S. Defense Commitment to South Korea (2006) andThe Prosecution of Former Military Leaders in Newly Democratic Nations: The Case of Argentina, Greece, and South Korea (2002). He has published articles and book chapters on North Korea's nuclear weapons program, Korean security issues, human rights, and transitional justice.

Jungmin Seo is assistant professor at University of Hawaii, Manoa, and specializes in East Asian politics, nationalism, and the political economy of culture. He received his PhD from the University of Chicago and is currently engaged in a research project sponsored by The Social Science Research Council on Korean migrant workers in Beijing.

Uk Heo is professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He is the author, co-author, or co-editor of seven books includingConflict in Asia: Korea, China-Taiwan, and India-Pakistan (Praeger 2003) andDefense and Security: A Compendium of National Armed Forces and Security Policies (2005) and the forthcoming titles,Identity and Change in East Asian Conflicts: The Case of China, Taiwan and the Koreas (2007) andCivil Wars of the World: Profiles of the Most Intense Internal Conflicts Since World War II (2007).