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 Event
- Featured Stories
- Foley Legislative Exchange
- Foundation News
- Mansfield Fellowship Program
- Mansfield Next Gen Nuclear Experts
- 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
- Trilateral Youth Empowerment Program Capstone in Washington
- Message from Frank Jannuzi, President & CEO, on departure of Vice President Benjamin Self
- Building Trilateral Momentum: U.S.-Korea-Japan Summit Discussion
- New Report on U.S.-Japan Cooperation in Cybersecurity
- Roundtable on South Korea and Japan’s Energy Security and Energy Transition Strategies
- Mansfield – Fulbright University Vietnam Conference on Energy Transition
- Ninth Cohort of Mansfield-PhRMA Research Scholars Announced
- Applications open for Mansfield Fellowship Program
- Discussion with Mika Takagi (NEDO): Navigating the Contemporary Energy and Technological Landscape
- Capitol Hill Asia Policy Dialogue on ASEAN Centrality Today and Moving Forward