Denuclearizing North Korea: The Imminent Challenges of Economic and Energy Assistance

The six-party talks on the North Korean nuclear problem are entering a very delicate stage. Modalities of actual disablement and dismantlement are to be agreed upon and implemented, and for the United States security issues are at the forefront. But the North Koreans’ attention is now focused on the provision of energy security as a prerequisite for closing down the existing nuclear program. At this CNAPS Presentation, Professor Georgy Toloraya discussed the options of economic assistance to North Korea, which is to be provided in a manner that would increase security and promote the country’s economic “conventionalization.” He argued that the energy sphere is a priority area which could set the pattern of future economic changes in DPRK and calls for a coordinated response to this challenge from the members of the six-party talks.

Professor Georgy Toloraya, a CNAPS Visiting Fellow at Bookings, is a diplomat who has served most recently as the Russian Federation’s Consul General in Sydney, Australia. Previous positions include Deputy Director-General at the First Asian Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Deputy Chief of Mission at the Russian Embassy in the Republic of Korea; and economic officer in the Soviet embassy in Pyongyang. In addition to his successful diplomatic career, Dr. Toloraya has published many scholarly articles and books and is the founder and research director of Center of Contemporary Korean Studies, IMEMO. He received his M.A. at Moscow Institute of International Relations, Ph.D. in Economics at the Graduate School of the Institute of Economics of the World Socialist System, and Doctor of Economy degree at the Academy of Science of the Russian Federation.