Dr. William J. Parker III said that the first step in securing peace on the peninsula is addressing the issue of human rights. He said that resolving the grave human rights violations in the North will motivate the DPRK to protect its economic interests, stabilizing the region and reducing the incentive to retain a nuclear program. Restated by many forum speakers, many efforts have been made internationally to realize denuclearization, however, little progress has resulted through the narrow focus of the current approach.
