Reconceptualizing Nuclear Threat Reduction through Pentagonal Peace

North Korea’s continued advancement of its nuclear capabilities and adoption of an offensive nuclear strategy have revealed the structural limitations of denuclearization-centric approaches. Traditional strategies-military deterrence, economic sanctions, and diplomatic engagement-have failed to fundamentally alter Pyongyang’s strategic behavior. This paper proposes a new strategic paradigm called Effective Peace, which aims not to eliminate nuclear weapons per se, but to undermine their strategic utility. To operationalize this concept, the paper introduces the Pentagonal Peace Theory, an integrated approach combining five theoretical pillars: capitalist peace theory, economic interdependence, institutionalism, peace-democracy theory, and democratic peace theory. These frameworks collectively seek to weaken the foundations of North Korea’s nuclear strategy by reshaping its strategic environment. The Pentagonal Peace Theory offers a multi-dimensional and long-term strategy that moves beyond traditional deterrence, presenting an alternative framework for mitigating nuclear threats and promoting structural peace on the Korean Peninsula.