Nuclear will of North Korea: An exceptional case of deterrence strategy

As being state who gained the most attention from all over the world, North Korea has been one of the unique countries which international system has ever seen. With her sole and unparalleled Juche regime which emphasizes on government's self-reliance policy and unpredictable leaders, North Korea has not ceased her dedication to develop nuclear weapons. Since her establishment in 1950 with Korea War and also with 38th Parallel, Democratic People's Republic of Korea have been trying to enhance her military, economy, industry and also mass weapons of destruction programme. With Union of Soviet Socialist Republics assistance, North Korea was able to start her Nuclear Weapon programme by saying that it was for peaceful uses in 1980. However, her abrupt development and receiving aid from the Soviet Union disturbed USA and European countries. Therefore, North Korea signed Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons in 1993 but she said that she withdrew from the agreement which led first North Korea Nuclear crisis to break out. Although USSR(Union of Soviet Socialist Republics) was collapsed in 1991, North Korea has not left her devotion to nuclear weapons. With her new leader, Kim Jong Un who took power from his father's abrupt death in 2011, have been aggressive for developing and testing mass weapons of destruction. Since 2009, North Korea made her first missile test in 2012 which was done successfully. Thus, North Korea has become a serious threat which could cause a major effect with her missiles in the international area. North Korea's possession of nuclear weapons gives concern to her neighbours and also USA who she designated as her archenemy. With President Donald Trump's inauguration and his words of " bring Fire and Fury" to Northern part of Korean peninsula, made two state's relationship to be conflicted. However, relations of USA and North Korea have been strained ever since. DPRK(Democratic People's Republic of Korea) knows that USSR possessed mass weapons of destruction and used them as deterrent strategy. And she challenged the USA with those weapons. Thus, North Korea, with her nuclear power, she is able to maintain her unique Juche regime as well as her politics both inside and outside without any state especially USA to interfere. Therefore, by using nuclear weapons programme as a deterrence strategy, North Korea have been advancing in her programme and continuing to challenge USA and other states with her mass weapons of destruction. Under the question of why North Korea is willing to develop and possess nuclear weapons and in order to answer and defend thesis question, case study approach is used which approaches a problem with different angles. As the thesis qualitative one, two results were reached. The first result for North Korea's and the second result for other state's. For the first result, it is indicated that North Korea is aware of her unique and unparalleled regime and therefore, in order to avoid USA and also other states to interfere her politics and destroy her regime, she uses nuclear weapons a deterrence tool. Accordingly, North Korea needs mass weapons of destruction in order to support her regime, economy and future of her country. For the second result, all of the states have their reasons for North Korea in terms of mass weapons of destruction. However, they all compromise on one thing: They do not want North Korea to be threat to whole world. In addition, they are against proliferation of nuclear weapons. Because in the past, Second World War set an example of a nuclear war which could only bring chaos, millions of casualties. Therefore, states are against North Korea's ambition to develop mass weapons of destruction. Although they are trying to stop her with sanctions by the United Nations, North Korea does not seem to give up her nuclear weapons yet.