The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea & Renewable Energy: Potential as Trust Building Engagement?

In 2025, re-engaging the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has returned to the political agendas in Seoul and Washington. Nevertheless, with the DPRK’s geopolitical position having improved tremendously since the Kim-Trump Summits in 2018, the playing field is very different. As Washington and Seoul continue to prioritize complete denuclearization, misalignment of interests between the ROK, U.S., and DPRK makes it difficult to actualize re-engagement, with a potential deadlock being the most likely outcome. As a result, options outside of the regional framework and disarmament negotiation approach must be considered if the status quo is to be disrupted. This issue brief explores Nordic-DPRK renewable energy collaboration as a low-risk, confidence-building measure to stabilize engagement, in alignment with the policies in Washington and Seoul. It does not intend to promote itself as the exclusive solution, but rather as a means to broaden the discussion on how to approach the DPRK today.