Heritage Explains 052: U.S. Should Not Sign a Peace Declaration with North Korea

A peace declaration with North Korea would be a historic but meaningless feel-good gesture that would not improve the security situation on the Korean Peninsula. It would not reduce the North Korean military threat to the allies or alleviate distrust and suspicion. It would only provide an amorphous hope that relations with North Korea will improve and that Pyongyang will undertake as yet undefined positive actions. The source of tensions is not an armistice versus a peace declaration, but rather North Korea’s post-war actions, including threats, attacks, forward-deployed conventional forces, and development of nuclear weapons.