As the official Six-Party Talks to promote lasting peace in the Korean Peninsula have been stuck since 2009, the peace-building process should be broadened to include civil society.

The continued diplomatic and sometimes violent incidents in the region, and the overall threat of nuclear escalation, underline the urgency of establishing a more effective engagement between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the international community.

After the DPRK withdrew from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in 2003, the Six-Party Talks, involving the DPRK, the Republic of Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States, were established as the main conduit for international engagement in the region. The talks have essentially focused on bringing the DPRK's nuclear capabilities within the realm of international control in exchange for normalization of relations with the DPRK and technical and economic support.