LISTEN: Reframing the U.S.-ROK Strategy for North Korean Diplomacy

Reframing the U.S.-ROK Strategy for North Korean Diplomacy

With Ian Fleming Zhou
In conversation with Susan A. Thornton
November 2024

Susan Thornton, Director of the NCAFP’s program on Asia-Pacific security, sits down with PhD scholar Ian Fleming Zhou to discuss his research on North Korea’s negotiation tactics and how the U.S. and ROK can work together to counter North Korea’s stalling tactics to ensure successful negotiations.

Read more about our Next-Generation Korean Peninsula Specialists Program here.

Ian Fleming Zhou is currently pursuing a Ph.D. at the University of Pretoria in South Africa. His doctoral research examines U.S.-led economic sanctions on North Korea’s nuclear program, focusing on their efficacy in counter-proliferation efforts. He is a former Arms Control Negotiation Academy (ACONA) Fellow (2023–2024 cohort).

Mr. Zhou’s dedication to advancing nuclear arms control and disarmament is reflected in his extensive contributions, including policy papers, peer-reviewed journal articles, and opinion pieces, as well as active participation in international arms control forums. During the 10th NPT Review Conference in 2022, he served as the Peaceful Uses Youth Working Group Chair under the British American Security Information Center (BASIC)’s Emerging Voices Network. He is also a former Executive Board Member of BASIC’s Emerging Voices Network.

Previously, Mr. Zhou was a research fellow at the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO) as part of the 2022 cohort. His areas of expertise include arms control, nuclear diplomacy, nonproliferation, and disarmament.