At this point the US-South Korea alliance is not helping anyone. From the South Korean perspective, the US presence is an excuse for North Korea to keep building more weapons, and prevents them from having any talks with North Korea. Further, they fear bearing the brunt of any war started by the US. From the US perspective, we have to take into account casualties in South Korea as well as agree with the South Koreans on military action, or be seen as betraying the alliance. It would be optimal for both parties to split up at this point, and for South Korea to develop its own nukes. The advantage for South Korea is, it leaves them in control of their own destiny, the advantage for the US would be that we get out of the peninsula altogether, the North Korean threat is gone as far as we are concerned, and we no longer have a dog in the fight. The whole reason for the alliance to begin with, was domino theory where Truman thought South Korea falling to communism would mean next Japan, and so on. That concern is ancient history.
It would be optimal for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to be de facto destroyed by the US encouraging its allies to develop nuclear weapons? Are you insane?
