March 29, 2024
Opinion

Why a breakout of war on the peninsula is the least of South Korea’s worries

Stuck between "American First" and Byungjin, Seoul needs to steel itself for uncertainty

Over the past few weeks, a growing number of people - both experts and laypeople - have been talking about the possibility of military conflict on the Korean peninsula. The most common refrain one hears among experts is that there is a growing sense of fear that North Korea and its neighbors and the United States might blunder themselves into war - whether by accident, miscalculation, or misperception of the other side’s intentions.

After all, both Donald Trump and Kim Jong Un are unpredictable and have the capacity to kill millions of people. With both leaders trading personal insults and making threats that will eventually have to be backed up with action lest they be seen as impotent, there is more reason than usual for people to be cautious.

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