Editor’s note: The following article is an opinion piece by Jeonghun Min is a professor at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy. Views expressed in opinion articles are exclusively the author’s own and do not represent those of NK News.

As world leaders prepare to gather in South Korea for the 2025 APEC Summit, the Korean Peninsula stands at a critical juncture.

North Korea has ramped up weapons development in recent years and has repeatedly demanded to be recognized as a nuclear state, while repudiating ties with the South and strengthening relations with Russia over the war in Ukraine.

But despite