Workshop on Reassurance Measures on the Korean Peninsula

Workshop on Reassurance Measures on the Korean Peninsula

17-18 October 2025

Tokyo, Japan

Amid heightened tensions and urgency on the Korean Peninsula—where the positions of the parties remain deeply divided, military preparations are escalating, and no official dialogue is taking place—the Toda Peace Institute will convene an international research group to explore constructive alternatives to deterrence. This workshop will focus on developing reassurance measures as practical pathways to reducing risks of armed conflict in the region.

Purpose of the Research Cluster

The Toda Research Cluster (TRC) on Reassurance on the Korean Peninsula was established to investigate practical steps that parties affected by the tensions on the Korean Peninsula might take to build confidence, reassure one another, and move beyond an exclusive reliance on deterrence strategies. To this end, the Institute has brought together scholars and former policymakers from South Korea, the United States, Mainland China, and Japan to contribute to this international study group.

Building the Dialogue

The TRC will convene two virtual meetings (18 July and 17 September 2025) leading up to a third in-person workshop in Tokyo, on 17-18 October 2025.

The convenor, Professor Jong-kun Choi, will prepare a draft report summarising the main findings of the discussions. In addition, TRC members are contributing individual papers that offer perspectives from their respective national contexts.

The Tokyo Workshop will focus on:

▪ Examine preventive diplomacy efforts on the Korean Peninsula.

▪ Discuss the interplay between deterrence and strategic reassurance.

▪ Identify credible assurances that parties can offer to one another.

▪ Develop practical proposals for reducing tensions and enhancing mutual understanding

- Between North and South Koreas

- Between North Korea and the United States

- Among the United States, China and Russia in relation to a divided Korea.

By advancing these discussions, the workshop aims to contribute to the broader goal of promoting peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, with broader implications for regional and global security.

Further Reading

Papers on past research clusters on reassurance measures in Northeast Asia are available here.

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