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Articles by David Maxwell
Conditions not a calendar: the reality of ROK/U.S. OPCON transition
Sept. 18 (UPI) -- The author prefers to use the lowercase "n" in north Korea to challenge the Kim family regime's legitimacy. The debate over wartime operational control, or OPCON, has entered another decisive phase. On Wednesday, United States Forces Korea commander Gen. Xavier Brunson reaffirmed that transition must remain conditions-based.
Korean operational control transition: conditions before calendars
July 20 (UPI) -- The author prefers to use the lowercase "n" to challenge the Kim family regime's legitimacy. It is possible that some Korean colleagues may misinterpret my argument about the so-called Pershing Rule. The absence of an absolute prohibition against placing U.S. forces under the operational control of an allied commander does not mean that wartime operational control, or OPCON, can be transitioned simply by replacing an American commander with a Korean commander.
Learn from Taiwan: The U.S. should have a College of Political Warfare
May 26 (UPI) -- The author prefers to use the lowercase "n" to challenge the Kim family regime's legitimacy. The strategic problem The United States faces adversaries who do not think about conflict the way Americans often do. China, Russia, Iran, and north Korea do not separate war and peace into clean categories. They operate continuously across the political, informational, psychological, economic, cyber, diplomatic and military spectrum.
Why is America afraid to conduct political warfare?
April 13 (UPI) -- The author prefers to use the lowercase "n" to challenge the Kim family regime's legitimacy. America does not lack power. It lacks comfort with the use of power in the political realm short of war. The fear is not of action, but of the ambiguity that political warfare demands. It sits in the gray zone between peace and war. It requires intent, persistence and a tolerance for friction. It requires admitting that influence is a battlefield.
How should ROK/U.S. alliance address North Korea's 'two-state policy?' Original
March 16 (UPI) -- The author prefers to use the lowercase "n" to challenge the Kim family regime's legitimacy. Kim Jong Un's declaration of "two hostile states" is not rhetorical theater. It is doctrine. By embedding the concept in the Workers' Party charter, the regime elevated it above ordinary policy and placed it inside the ideological constitution of the state.
An end of war declaration is dangerous for the Republic of Korea-U.S. alliance Original
March 7 (UPI) -- The author prefers to use the lowercase "n" to challenge the Kim family regime's legitimacy. Calls for an end of war declaration on the Korean peninsula return with steady rhythm. Each time they appear, they promise a step toward reconciliation. The latest proposal came when South Korea's Unification Ministry urged a political declaration formally ending the Korean War as part of a broader effort to restart dialogue with north Korea and move toward a peace regime.
Korea’s March First Movement: A nation stands
Feb. 28 (UPI) -- The author prefers to use the lowercase "n" to challenge the Kim family regime's legitimacy. On March 1, 1919, Koreans walked into the streets with paper in their hands and conviction in their hearts. They had lived under Japanese colonial rule since 1910. Their language was suppressed. Their political rights were extinguished. Their dignity was assaulted. Yet, on that cold day in Seoul, they declared that the Korean nation still existed.
Alliance partners: With cultural understanding comes mutual respect
Feb. 2 (UPI) -- The author prefers to use the lowercase "n" to challenge the Kim family regime's legitimacy. I will offer two observations about Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby's remarks at the Sejong Institute in Seoul. One concerns fear. The other concerns words. Both matter in war and peace. In a combined fight, what we say can steady an ally or unnerve one. It can also feed the enemy.
A north Korean 'Common Sense'
Jan. 26 (UPI) -- The author prefers to use the lowercase "n" to challenge the Kim family regime's legitimacy. Three essays inspired me to write this piece. One from Jihyun Park about the north Korean new world order. One from Hyunseung Lee about what Koreans in the north want to know most. One from Daniel Tobias Flint about how Thomas Paine's Common Sense created the revolutionary mindset in America. In January 1776, Thomas Paine published Common Sense and forced a choice into plain view.
Why South Korea must not restrict information about the North Original
Dec. 19 (UPI) -- President Lee Jae Myung seeks to allow Koreans in the South to read, listen to and watch information from North Korea. It is the right thing to do. South Korea is a confident democracy. It should act like one. That means it must not fear information about North Korea. It must not restrict it. It must not presume its citizens are weak, gullible, or unable to judge propaganda for what it is. A mature society does not protect itself by hiding facts.
Greatest Korean sentence: promise of freedom, unification for One Korea
Nov. 26 (UPI) -- Every great revolution begins with a few clear words.
President Lee seeks peaceful unification, but what's the plan? Original
Nov. 24 (UPI) -- South Korean President Lee Jae Myung has done something important. At theG20 in Johannesburg, he put peaceful reunification back on the global agenda and called it what it is for the Republic of Korea: a constitutional duty, not a vague aspiration. He rejected reunification by absorption or force. He spoke of gradual, phased unification based on peaceful coexistence and mutual development, grounded in the democratic will of all Koreans.
U-ROK: Why Koreans and Americans must pursue a free, unified Korea Original
Nov. 11 (UPI) -- The question of Korean unification is not an abstraction for Koreans or Americans; it is the central unresolved strategic, moral, and humanitarian problem of Northeast Asia. Some contemporary policymakers in Seoul and Washington urge cautious engagement, de-escalation, or a step-by-step focus on denuclearization and stability.
The 12 myths of Korean unification
Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Breaking the Mental Cage For 70 years, the world has repeated the same tired excuses for why the Korean Peninsula must remain divided. These excuses have hardened into myths that have become mental cages that limit imagination, weaken will and excuse inaction. Division has been normalized; unification dismissed as fantasy. Yet division is the abnormal condition. Unification is the natural future.
The 12 myths of Korean unification
VoicesNov. 3, 2025 / 11:52 PM By David Maxwell https://www.upi.com/Voices/2025/11/03/korea-Korean-unification-myths/9411762228673/ A visitor looks at North Korea through binoculars at Aegibong Peace Ecopark observatory in Gimpo, South Korea, on Saturday, February 24, 2024. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Breaking the Mental Cage For 70 years, the world has repeated the same tired excuses for why the Korean Peninsula must remain divided.
Why we must take a human rights up-front approach to North Korea
Oct. 1 (UPI) -- North Korea remains one of the world's most repressive regimes, systematically violating the rights of its 26 million people. For decades, U.S. and allied policy has focused primarily on nuclear weapons and deterrence while supporting the amazing "Miracle on the Han." Yet, without addressing the underlying conditions of repression in the north, such approaches are incomplete and unsustainable.
Defense Dept. misses strategic discussion on future of ROK-U.S. alliance
Sept. 26 (UPI) -- The Thirty-Ninth International Security Conference: Challenges and Opportunities for the ROK-US Alliance, held this week at the Hudson Institute in Washington, was timely and consequential given the ongoing process of alliance modernization between Washington and Seoul.
It is time for a One Korea policy
Sept. 17 (UPI) -- Author's note: The concept of a One Korea policy was introduced by lawyer Grace Kang at the Mongolia Forum in 2024 and in an essay in the Georgetown Security Studies Review. Kim Jong Un has crossed the Rubicon. His declaration that South Korea is the enemy, his abandonment of even the rhetorical commitment to peaceful unification and his insistence on the total domination of the peninsula under his Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State mark a pivotal turning point.
It is time for a One Korea policy
My latest essay. Thank you to Grace Kang for the inspiration. VoicesSept. 17, 2025 / 12:08 PM https://www.upi.com/Voices/2025/09/17/korea-perspctive-one-korea-policy/7831758122948/ By David Maxwell Kim Jong Un has presented South Korea with an opportunity in disguise. By rejecting any shared future, he inadvertently gives Seoul the moral and political space to seize the initiative. Photo by North Korean Central News Agency/EPA Sept.
The ROK–U.S. Summit 2025: No harm done, but missed opportunity - UPI.com Original
WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (UPI) -- I watched closely the summit between President Lee Jae Myung of the Republic of Korea and President Donald J. Trump here in Washington. On the surface, the summit went smoothly, measured words, positive atmospherics, handshakes and announcements of economic cooperation that both sides can sell to their domestic audiences. Yet, as someone who spent a career focused on Korea, I cannot help but see that we avoided a crisis -- but failed to seize a historic opportunity.
President Trump must not be persuaded by President Lee’s views on “respect” for the North Korean political system Original
Aug. 18 (UPI) -- President Trump, as you sit down with President Lee Jae Myung on Aug. 25, you must not be swayed by his dangerously naive stance on "respect" for North Korea's political system. I say this not as a politician or a pundit, but as a soldier and practitioner/strategist who has spent his life confronting the nature of authoritarian regimes and understanding what it takes to resist them.
Trump-Lee summit 2025: modernizing the South Korea-U.S. alliance
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Editor's Note: What follows is a work of fiction. The author imagines a conversation between the presidents of the United States and South Korea at their upcoming summit, that addresses challenging issues facing the ROK-U.S. alliance in the present and future. It highlights the shared interests of the two nations as well as the security and prosperity of their citizens, including the human rights and dignity of the Korean people in the north.
The real threat on Korean Peninsula: Chinese, North Korean political warfare Original
July 30 (UPI) -- Amid escalating tensions between conservatives and liberals in South Korea, and as the world fixates on North Korea's menacing nuclear arsenal, a more insidious threat is shaping the fate of the Korean Peninsula: sophisticated and largely covert political warfare orchestrated by the regimes in Beijing and Pyongyang.
America First, Allies Always: Securing the Asia-Indo-Pacific together
July 15 (UPI) --Editor’s note: This speech was presented to the Asia-Pacific Policy Strategy Dialogue, House of Lords, United Kingdom and the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group on North Korea at the U.K. Parliament on July 1, 2025. It presents a comprehensive strategic vision for United States and allied engagement in the Asia-Indo-Pacific region.
A free and unified Korea: advancing U.S. national security interests
President Donald J. Trump (R) welcomes South Korean President Moon Jae-in (L) to the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on April 11, 2019. Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo/UPI The pursuit of a free and unified Korea is not merely a regional aspiration but a strategic imperative that aligns with the United States' core national security interests. In evaluating this policy direction, it is essential to address the criteria outlined by Secretary of State Marco Rubio: 3.
America Must Stop Treating Taiwan and Korea as Separate Security Issues
It is Time to Synchronize U.S. Strategy in INDOPACOM: Korea and Taiwan Are Interrelated Challenges Requiring an Integrated Security Architecture: The United States must no longer treat Taiwan and South Korea as isolated security problems. The two countries are strategically interconnected, and failure to defend one will almost certainly compromise the defense of the other.
The dangers of a Korean end-of-war declaration Original
Freedom Bridge near the DMZ was used for the exchange of prisoners of war after the Korean Armistice Agreement in 1953. It no longer serves as a bridge for crossing, but symbolizes hope and ultimately reconciliation between North and South Korea. Photo by Lance Vanlewen/ Wikimedia Commons March 18 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Calif., along with 33 lawmakers, is proposing a resolution that the United States adopt an end-of-Korean-War declaration. This is his third attempt.
Changing Kim Jong Un’s behavior calls for change in U.S. policy
Jan. 21 (UPI) -- The United States must never fear to engage in dialogue and actions that challenge the status quo of its North Korea policy. The time has come to disrupt traditional approaches, which have failed to yield progress, and instead focus on empowering the Korean people to achieve liberty, dignity, and unification. The oppressive Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State, led by Kim Jong Un, continues to perpetuate suffering while posing a grave threat to global security.
Changing Kim Jong Un’s behavior calls for change in U.S. policy
Jan. 21 (UPI) -- The United States must never fear to engage in dialogue and actions that challenge the status quo of its North Korea policy. The time has come to disrupt traditional approaches, which have failed to yield progress, and instead focus on empowering the Korean people to achieve liberty, dignity, and unification. The oppressive Guerrilla Dynasty and Gulag State, led by Kim Jong Un, continues to perpetuate suffering while posing a grave threat to global security.
Seizing the Initiative in the Gray Zone: The Case for a US Office of Strategic Disruption
In the aftermath of the Cold War, the United States emerged as the world’s sole superpower, unrivaled in conventional and nuclear military might. This unparalleled dominance, however, inadvertently paved the way for a new era of conflict—one that operates in the shadows between peace and war, challenging traditional notions of warfare and national security. As we stand at this strategic crossroads, it becomes imperative to reassess our approach to global competition and conflict.
Time for North Korea policy to shift focus to freedom, human rights Original
Jan. 13 (UPI) -- While South Korea experiences historic domestic political turmoil, Kim Jong Un and his regime continue to threaten peace and stability in the region and pose a direct threat to the U.S. homeland. And while the military alliance will continue to deter war by maintaining a high level of readiness to fight and defeat the North Korean People's Army, the United States and the international community cannot afford to sit idly by while South Korean politics play out.
South Korean democracy versus North Korean dictatorship: Strength in impeachment | Opinion
Dec. 14 (UPI) -- Although counterintuitive, the impeachment in South Korea demonstrates the strength of Korean democracy. Yes, it is a messy democracy. However, it is a strong and resilient democracy. The stark contrast between South Korea's democracy and North Korea's dictatorship epitomizes the broader struggle between freedom and oppression. At its core, the question is this: would the Korean people prefer the challenges of a messy democracy or the suffocating control of a dictatorial regime?
The unintended consequences of Yoon's martial law debacle
Dec. 5 (UPI) -- South Korea's political landscape is no stranger to dramatic upheavals, but President Yoon Suk Yeol's recent imposition of martial law marks a turning point that will resonate far beyond its borders. The incident, which drew immediate condemnation from international observers and domestic factions, casts a shadow over the 8.15 Unification Doctrine, the ambitious framework aimed at a free and unified Korea.
The unintended consequences of Yoon’s martial law debacle | Opinion
Dec. 5 (UPI) -- South Korea's political landscape is no stranger to dramatic upheavals, but President Yoon Suk Yeol's recent imposition of martial law marks a turning point that will resonate far beyond its borders. The incident, which drew immediate condemnation from international observers and domestic factions, casts a shadow over the 8.15 Unification Doctrine, the ambitious framework aimed at a free and unified Korea.
What would unification mean for the North Korean people? Original
Messages of peace written by visitors hang from a tree in the exhibition center of Aegibong Peace Ecopark in Gimpo, South Korea, in February. File Photo by Thomas Maresca/UPI | License Photo Dec. 2 (UPI) -- The desire for unification among North Korean people could be driven by several factors, rooted in both the tangible benefits they hope to gain and a sense of shared heritage with the Korean people in the South.
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