Profound shifts in North Korea’s international approach are creating a new security environment on the Korean Peninsula. For the first time in the history of U.S.-North Korea nuclear negotiations, Pyongyang appears serious about rejecting any engagement on denuclearization. It is also terminating ties with other countries deemed unfavorable. Notably, North Korea renounced the pursuit of cooperation and peaceful unification with South Korea, upending its longstanding inter-Korean policy. Conversely, North Korea has bolstered relations with Russia and China. Enhanced North Korea-Russia cooperation, in particular, is pulling Pyongyang into a broader geopolitical competition and encouraging greater belligerence on the Peninsula. These trends underscore the ineffectiveness of over-relying on pressure, sanctions, and deterrence messaging to curb North Korea’s nuclear development. In this new environment, strategic reassessment and enhanced cooperation by the United States, South Korea, and like-minded partners are necessary to reduce conflict and build peace on the Korean Peninsula.