Former U.S. Secretary of Defense William J. Perry Speaks at Yonsei

 

-Peaceful Resolution of North Korean Nuclear Threat and Future of East Asia

 

 

William J. Perry, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, visited Yonsei on November 14, 2016 to deliver a special lecture entitled “The Peaceful Resolution of the North Korean Nuclear Threat and the Future of East Asia.”

 

In the lecture, Perry reminded the audience that “regardless of how many sanctions were imposed against it, North Korea pushed forth with its nuclear development program. It cannot be expected to relinquish its nuclear weapon on its own volition.” He further advised: “In order to escape North Korea’s nuclear threat, one must first understand its identity and desires, then seek to minimize risk through a new approach.” In his conclusion, Perry emphasized that “our policies against North Korea should not address the North Korea we wish to see, but North Korea as it is.”

 

 

Perry’s talk was the inaugural event of the William J. Perry Lecture Series, which was created through a collaborative partnership between the Yonsei Institute for North Korean Studies and the Pacific Century Institute. The goal of the series is to bring distinguished speakers with extensive policymaking experience to Yonsei to share their insights gained from a career dedicated to public service.

 

Perry served as Secretary of Defense in the Clinton Administration (1994-1997), and in this capacity he pursued the normalization of U.S.-North Korean relations. In 2013, he founded the William J. Perry Project, a non-profit organization that strives to raise awareness of the dangers of nuclear weapons and alleviate the risk of nuclear conflict. His memoir, My Journey at the Nuclear Brink, was published in 2015, detailing his efforts to manage nuclear threats, including those posed by the North Korean regime. Currently, Perry teaches at Stanford University, where he is professor emeritus.