In The News

N. Korea Shifts Stance on Nuclear Talks

James Brooke April 13, 2003
Since admitting to its hitherto-secret uranium enrichment program last October, North Korea has demanded bilateral talks with the United States to resolve the crisis. The U.S., however, has insisted on the participation of North Korea’s neighbors arguing that North Korean nuclear program was a matter of regional concern. North Korean refusal to take part in a multilateral discussion has raised...

The Watchword is Restraint

Howard W. French April 13, 2003
The success of the US-led war in Iraq has brought to the forefront the possibility of military conflict between the United States and North Korea. The Bush Administration has identified North Korea as part of the "axis of evil" but so far has resisted direct military action against the Communist nation. North Korea appears to be exercising restraint in developing its nuclear program,...

N Korea Quits Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty

Andrew Ward April 10, 2003
North Korea withdrew from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty on April 10, as it had announced it would three months earlier. The US wanted the UN Security Council to condemn the act, but was blocked by China and Russia who argued such condemnation would only increase tensions on the Korean peninsula. North Korea had let it be known that it would consider any condemnation as a “prelude to war.”...

North Korea Curbs Brinksmanship During Iraq War

Doug Struck April 8, 2003
Since the Iraq War began, North Korea has been waiting its turn, expecting to become either a target or a dialogue partner for the US. Notably, Pyongyang hasn't made any moves to further develop nuclear weapons, in what one observer describes as "an unspoken pact" to keep the peace while the US focuses on Iraq. "The bottom line is they want to have talks with the U.S. That...

North Korea Says Its Arms Will Deter U.S. Attack

Howard W. French April 7, 2003
After having been virtually silent since the US-led invasion of Iraq began, North Korea's government is once again proclaiming the right to protect itself against any US aggression. "The Iraqi war shows that to allow disarming through inspection does not help avert a war but rather sparks it," say the latest statement from Pyongyang's Foreign Ministry. "This suggests...

Japan Joins the Exclusive Space Spy Club

Joan Johnson-Freese March 31, 2003
To the surprise of its neighbors, Japan has taken action to protect itself from North Korea. After North Korea tested a ballistic missile in 1998, the usually slow-moving Japanese assembly decided immediately to build a space-based surveillance system. Japan launched two information-gathering satellites into space, provoking harsh words from North Korea. Whether the new system will...

N Korea Could Scrap Nuclear Plan for Pipeline

Andrew Ward March 30, 2003
Both South Korean and American officials have claimed that a resolution to the North Korean nuclear weapons crisis should be achieved using different methods than in Iraq. The latest suggestion by the South Korean government is to route a Russian gas pipeline to its northern neighbor, in exchange for Pyongyang's renunciation of all nuclear programs. If the needs of North Korea’s struggling...