A leading U.S. scholar says resolving the North Korean nuclear issue will take both hard power including economic sanctions and soft power, or more subtle ways of persuasion.

Harvard Professor Joseph Nye said Tuesday during a lecture in Seoul that China’s role is crucial in employing hard power against North Korea. He added that South Korea’s soft power will bear much fruit in the long term.

He stressed the importance of close cooperation and coordinated strategies among Seoul, Washington, Tokyo and Beijing in tackling the North Korean nuclear problem and attracting Pyongyang to reform itself.

According to Nye, soft power is "the ability to get others to do what you want by attracting or persuading them to adopt the same goals." This is contrasted with hard power's use of military or economic measures.