The ‘nuclear warrior’ making the case for ending the Korean War – Ep. 285

As a three-star Air Force general, Dan Leaf trained to carry out nuclear strikes and vaporize targets without hesitation. But after a more than 30-year career, including tours on the Korean Peninsula, the self-described “nuclear warrior” came to believe that what the U.S. was doing wasn’t working to reduce tensions with the DPRK. The retired general now believes that a permanent peace treaty with the Kim regime is the best chance to break the status quo and, most importantly, reduce the chance of nuclear conflict. And he argues that this could also undermine a raison d’etre of a regime that has made war with the U.S. a core part of its identity. Leaf joins the NK News podcast to discuss his time in high-level positions in Korea, what reconciliation with Vietnam can teach us about Korea, why the U.S. consider sending food aid into North Korea regardless of whether the country agrees to accept it and more. Lt. Gen. Dan Leaf (@figleaf31) is a retired U.S. three-star general and Air Force fighter pilot and former deputy commander of the U.S. Pacific Command. You can read his New York Times op-ed making the case for a peace treaty with North Korea here. About the podcast: The North Korea News Podcast is a weekly podcast hosted by Jacco Zwetsloot (@JaccoZed) exclusively for NK News, covering all things DPRK — from news to extended interviews with leading experts and analysts in the field, along with insight from our very own journalists.