NORTH KOREA AND THE QUEST FOR NUCLEAR DETERRENCE: ITS IMPLICATION FOR SOUTH ASIAN SECURITY

Abstract

The study sought to examine deterrence and the quest for nuclear weapons using North Korea and its implication for South East Security. One of the objectives of this study is to ascertain the motive behind North Korea’s nuclear weapons. To this end, the study adopted deterrence theory as its theoretical framework. The study was anchored a qualitative research design. Content analysis was adopted based on the nature of phenomena under investigation. The findings proof that deterrence is the crux of North Korea’s nuclear development programmed. The study discovered that sanctions and military threat cannot deter North Korea from pursuing nuclear weapons. Therefore, the study recommended among other things that all sanctions imposed on North Korea in relations to its nuclear weapons programmed should be lifted and military threat should be totally discarded