Over the past decade, U.S. policy toward North Korea has ranged from direct bilateral
engagement to labeling Pyongyang as part of an “axis of evil.” Despite repeated provocations
from the North, there is no publicly available evidence that any U.S. administration since 1994
has seriously considered a direct military strike or an explicit policy of regime change due to the
threat of a devastating war on the peninsula. Although there have been periodic efforts to
negotiate a “grand bargain” that addresses the full range of concerns with Pyongyang’s behavior
and activities, North Korea’s nuclear program has usually been prioritized above North Korea’s
human rights record, its missile program, and its illicit activities.