| Abstract: | Due to the potential spread of nuclear weapons, North Korea’s nuclear weapons test represents a serious security threat to
East Asia as well as a global risk. Many sources, including the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, argue that North Korea’s
nuclear weapons program poses a security threat to the United States because missiles fired from North Korea could reach Hawaii
or Alaska. Against this backdrop, however, no empirical research analyzing how much the ordinary American feels threatened
by North Korea’s nuclear weapons program has been conducted. This paper examines American public opinion toward North Korea’s
nuclear weapons program based on a regional survey conducted in Hawaii during the summer of 2005. The research compares and
evaluates through various quantitative research methods, to what extent the respondents’ various demographic, political, and
socioeconomic backgrounds seem to have divergently influenced the perception of North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. In
the evaluation of the majority of people in Hawaii, North Korea is pursuing the nuclear weapons program to enhance their national
prestige and for self-defense purposes. Many respondents proposed multilateral negotiation as a desirable settlement method
for managing North Korea’s nuclear program. |
