North Korea faces an uncertain and bleak future. Under the military-first politics instituted by the late Kim Jong-il, limited resources have been devoted to its nuclear program leading to a chronic under-investment in areas crucial for national development such as economy, culture, and the environment. The current survival strategy of North Korea based upon military-first politics and nuclear weapons is unsustainable in the long run. In what way can North Korea then pursue reforms and opening without provoking a sudden collapse of the state?

In answering this crucial question, Future of North Korea 2032: Coevolutionary Strategy for Advancement maps out the post-Kim Jong-il era by proposing that North Korea can only sustain the regime through giving up the military-first politics and changing its system of governance. Specifically, this strategy emphasizes that North Korea should “coevolve” with its surrounding countries whose cooperation is indispensible in the process of transforming North Korea.

 Table of Contents

1. Path to an Advanced North Korea 2032: Building a Complex Network State | Young-Sun HA

2. North Korea as a Transformer: From a Fortress State to an Amphibious State | Seongji WOO

3. Coevoultion Strategy for North Korea: Diplomacy | Chaesung CHUN

4. Getting Out of the Military-First Dilemmas: In Search of North Korea’s Coevolution Military Strategy | Jihwan HWANG

5. A Strategy for the Advancement of the North Korean Economy | Dongho JO

6. A Strategy for the Coevolution of North Korean Human Rights | Soo-Am KIM