Constructing regional denuclearization: The NPT, Nuclear Weapon Free Zone, and North Korea

The Treaty on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation (NPT) is the corner-stone of the international community's efforts to prevent spread of nuclear weapons for worldwide disarmament. However, the NPT is the product of the Cold War era and it now faces many challenges as the security environment rapidly changes. The nuclear deterrence doctrine based on threat and fear also needs to be changed as the U.S. government raises a vision of a "world free of nuclear weapons." Article VII of the NPT guarantees the creation of a Nuclear Weapon Free Zone (NWFZ) that completely bans nuclear weapons from all territories within the zone. Currently there are five existing NWFZs: the Tlatelolco Treaty in Latin America, the Rarotonga Treaty in South Pacific, the Bankok Treaty in Southeast Asia, the Pelindaba Treaty in Africa and the Semipalatinsk Treaty in Central Asia. A NWFZ in Northeast Asia will significantly enhance the security environment. Denuclearization of North Korea is a prerequisite to establishing a Northeast Asia NWFZ. Revitalizing the Joint Declaration of Denuclearization in Korean Peninsula and the Six-Party Talks, shaping a peace treaty, as well as ensuring negative security assurance from nuclear weapon states are key steps to achieve the goal.