On December 1, 2017, Dr. Jihwan Hwang, visiting scholar at the Catholic University of America and lecturer at GW, presented on his research “Can North Korea Become America’s Friend” to a group of students, staff, and representatives from the Korea Economic Institute and the Department of State. Dr. Hwang compared the improvement of relations with Iran and Cuba under President Obama to the North Korean case. He proposed that the implementation of agreements, change in domestic politics, and level of nuclear development are initial conditions that determine whether a “rogue state” can become friends with the U.S. Until those factors change in North Korea, he remarked that friendship with the U.S. does not appear likely. During the question and answer session, Dr. Hwang and the participants discussed other possible factors such as leadership, geostrategic calculations, and economic considerations.