Stephan M. Haggard is the Lawrence and Sallye Krause Professor of Korea-Pacific Studies at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) Graduate School of International Relations and is the director of Korea-Pacific Program (KPP). He is the editor of the Journal of East Asian Studies and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Professor Haggard has written extensively on the political economy of North Korea with Marcus Noland, including Famine in North Korea: Markets, Aid, and Reform (2007), Witness to Transformation: Refugee Insights into North Korea (2011), and "Hard Target: Sanctions., Inducements and the Case of North Korea" (2017). Haggard maintains the "North Korea: Witness to Transformation" blog and has a regular column with the Joongang Daily.

Summary

Stephan Haggard, editor of the EAI Journal of East Asian Studies and professor at UC San Diego, provides his thoughts on the June 12th US-North Korea Summit and the implications for the East Asian region. He argues that the signed document from the summit was weak; it lacked specific timelines and objectives on denuclearization. More alarming, however, was President Trump’s decision to halt US-ROK military exercises suggesting that they were “provocative” and akin to “war games.” Additionally, Professor Haggard along with other North Korea watchers is concerned that there are competing interpretations on what actually compelled Kim Jong Un to negotiate. President Trump claims that he induced Kim to the bargaining table, yet before that, Kim was the one who started the Olympic charm offensive. Professor Haggard is concerned that reducing pressure now may extend the length of the negotiation process. He also discusses economic issues including sanctions relief, the various models that North Korea may pursue, and the challenges it faces in attracting foreign direct investment due to the country’s weak protection of property rights. Professor Haggard closes with predictions over what future US-North Korea negotiations might look like.

Through our Smart Q&A series, the East Asia Institute (EAI) seeks to offer timely and in-depth analysis on current issues by conducting video interviews with domestic and international experts. EAI takes no institutional position on what is said in the interviews and they are solely the position of the interviewees. This interview was prepared by Natalie Grant and the summary was prepared by David Myung.

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[Smart Q&A: Stephan Haggard] The Impact and Implication of Economic Sanctions on North Korea