evidence: The Korean Peninsula, with its intricate web of historical tensions, nuclear threats, and geopolitical dynamics, will demand a nuanced and strategic approach from the incoming administration. In the Q&A below, a pair of RAND experts discuss the foremost foreign policy challenges, the realistic goals for denuclearization, and the steps needed to bolster the U.S.–South Korea alliance. They also explore the cybersecurity threats posed by North Korea, the efficacy of economic sanctions, and ongoing human rights abuses in the region. [...] Benjamin Young I think there are multiple challenges facing the United States when it comes to the Korean Peninsula. First and foremost, it is the North Korean nuclear threat. A North Korean nuclear attack on South Korean territory, whether large scale or small scale, would send the entire Indo-Pacific region into a tailspin and endanger the lives of many South Koreans. The unpredictability and outlaw-like character of the Kim family regime makes the DPRK a threat to global stability. Secondly, a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan would likely involve South Korea in some way. With 28,000 U.S. troops based in South Korea and potential North Korean military opportunism, the Korean peninsula could potentially become ensnared in a Taiwan Straits crisis. Thirdly, there is a disconcerting lack of trust in the U.S. nuclear umbrella among some South Koreans. There is growing public demand in South Korea for the indigenous development of nuclear weapons. That is concerning and raises the possibility that other regional powers, namely Japan, would develop their own nukes.