How to End the Korean War-Finally

Seven decades after the fighting stopped, the U.S. is still seeking a way to halt hostilities and avoid a nuclear disaster

- TOM O'CONNOR

SEVENTY YEARS AFTER AN ARMISTICE COOLED a hot war on the Korean Peninsula, the threat of a new conflagration on this frontline threatens to spark a catastrophic nuclear conflict. And with the United States focused more on threats posed by Russia in Ukraine and China in Taiwan, a number of former U.S. officials believe that, in the absence of an official peace treaty, Korea is the likeliest flashpoint for such a devastating scenario.

Among them is Dan Leaf, a retired Air Force lieutenant general and former deputy commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.

"We could look at the nuclear stakes and risks and say, 'Well, the Ukraine situation could go nuclear, the China-U.S. competition and a potential conflict with regard to Taiwan could go nuclear,' Leaf tells Newsweek. "But those would require a series of mistakes, misunderstandings and events to get there. The reason that the Korea problem is most urgent is that we are one bad decision away from nuclear war."

Leaf, though, is also among those who believe that both President Joe Biden and lawmakers have the ability to defuse the situation. Once tasked with delivering nuclear strikes and overseeing intercontinental ballistic missile operations, he is now calling for a legislative effort to prioritize securing a peace treaty with Pyongyang to avert disaster and potentially pave the way for concessions from North Korea, including in the realm of human rights.

"It's not likely, but it's possible," Leaf says. "And while being the most urgent, it's almost the easiest to address because fixing things with Russia regarding Ukraine, good luck, and the U.S.-China strategic competition, there is no step one, we can't say, 'Let's do this and we'll be on a better path."

"We can with North Korea," he adds, "and say, 'End the war."

An Undeclared, Unfinished War