On September 25, the Mansfield Foundation hosted a roundtable discussion with the Venerable Pomnyun Sunim, a Buddhist monk, activist, and founder of the nongovernmental organization Good Friends for Peace, Human Rights, and Refugee Issues. The Venerable Pomnyun Sunim drew from his experience and contacts in North Korea to suggest steps toward resolving the current crisis. Among his key points were that: it is a huge miscalculation to think that China can solve the North Korea problem; North Korea is used to being economically isolated and its economy has been improving, so more economic sanctions will cause suffering, but will not kill the regime; and the United States should acknowledge that North Korea is a nuclear weapons-capable state. Venerable Pomnyun Sunim also urged the United States and South Korea to stop talking about a preemptive strike on North Korea and engage in face-to-face dialogue with Pyongyang.
Sign up for weekly updates and event announcements
Categories
- Capitol Hill Asia Policy Dialogues
- Commentaries
- Events
- Featured Stories
- Foley Legislative Exchange
- Foundation News
- Mansfield Fellowship Program
- Mansfield-Luce Asia Scholars Network
- Nuclear Trilateral Workshop
- PhRMA Research Scholars
- Program Updates
- Publications
- U.S.-Japan Network for the Future
- U.S.-Japan Space Forum
- Uncategorized
Recent News
- Mansfield Figures Participate in GWU Korea Policy Forum
- Cornerstone of Stability: U.S.-Japan relations in the Asia Pacific
- The Big Update: Imperatives and Avenues for U.S.-Japan Alignment on Tech Policy
- December 20: Mansfield-PhRMA Translational Research Symposium
- Mansfield Foundation Supports Community Through Virtual U.S.-Japan Events
- Legislators from the United States, Japan, and Republic of Korea Participate in Second Virtual Foley Exchange
- Applying the Mansfield-Biden Lessons to Foreign Policy
- Mansfield Announces New Initiative on Maritime Domain Awareness in SCS
- Recruitment Open for the Second Cohort of the Mansfield-Luce Asia Scholars Network
- Mansfield-Luce Asia Scholars Network Application Instructions