Snappy newsletters. Simple Facebook sharing. Spirited comments. Sweet features are waiting… GET THEM NOW!

North Korea Stalling on Nuke Deal

Nation refuses to remove nuke cooling tower before enjoying benefits

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Dec 24, 2007 4:15 AM CST

(Newser) – North Korea is balking at US demands that it demolish a cooling tower at its main nuclear complex and get rid of unused fuel, the AP reports. Officials insist they want the benefits from the next stage of the disarmament deal first. The US warns that North Korea could restart its reactor in just three months if it doesn't get rid of the tower and fuel.

North Korea had agreed to disable nuclear facilities in a deal struck earlier this year, but the cooling tower and fuel weren't specifically mentioned in the agreement. The US agreed to drop sanctions against North Korea and drop it from terrorism blacklists in return for the disablement measures, but the country now looks certain to miss the year-end deadline.

South Korean president-elect Lee Myung-bak, third from left, speaks during a disbanding ceremony for the Grand National Party(GNP) election committee at the GNP headquarters in Seoul, Thursday, Dec. 20,... (Associated Press)

In this photo distributed by China's official Xinhua news agency, Chinese chief negotiator on Korean Peninsula nuclear issue Wu Dawei, second right, Chinese Ambassador Liu Xiaoming, left, pose for photos... (Associated Press)

South Korean protesters with defaced posters of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il shout a slogan during a rally against North Korea's nuclear program in Seoul, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2007. U.S. Assistant Secretary... (Associated Press)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Koreas Hold 'Constructive' Nuke Talks

Set sights on resuming six-party meetings

(NEWSER) - Top officials from North and South Korea today met in what was the countries' first high-level meeting since 2008, holding productive nuclear talks in Indonesia, Reuters reports. “I had very constructive and useful conversations with my counterpart,” said South Korea's nuclear envoy. “We agreed to continue to make joint efforts in the process of negotiations for denuclearization” and “to make joint efforts to set conditions to resume the six-party talks as soon as possible.” More»

Thawing Relations: South Korea Sending Aid to North

5,000 tons of rice, cement to be shipped

(NEWSER) - South Korea will send $8.5 million in aid to flood-ravaged North Korea in a sign of warming relations, NPR reports. The 5,000-ton shipment of rice and cement represents the South’s first major aid shipment to its neighbor after an alleged torpedo attack from the North in March that killed 46 South Korean sailors. More»

US Levies New Sanctions on N. Korea

Clinton, Gates visit DMZ, show solidarity with South

(AP) - The Obama administration pushed new sanctions today against North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced new measures during a visit to the DMZ four months after the sinking of a South Korean warship blamed on the North. The sanctions target arms and related goods used to fund the communist regime's nuclear activities, and the acquisition of luxury items to reward its elite. More»

North Korea Severs Ties With South

Irate over 'smear campaign' in battleship's sinking

(AP) - North Korea says it will sever all ties and communication with Seoul as punishment for what it calls a "smear campaign" over the sinking of a South Korean warship. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency quoted the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea as saying late today that Pyongyang would also expel all South Koreans working at a joint industrial park in the border town of Kaesong. More»

Obama: We Will Sanction Iran

Obama ups pressure on Tehran, North Korea in South Korean speech

(NEWSER) - Barack Obama offered his toughest talk yet on nuclear issues today in a joint press conference with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. Obama blasted Iran for turning down a deal to turn their nuclear stockpiles into fuel rods, “for internal political reasons, or perhaps because they are stuck in some of their own rhetoric.” He said that the US was now moving to negotiate sanctions with its allies. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website

North Korea Stalling on Nuke Deal

Nation refuses to remove nuke cooling tower before enjoying benefits

OTHER STORIES ON OUR RADAR

North Korea • diplomacy • sanctions • nuclear facilities • denuclearisation

MOST POPULAR STORIES

[ By Views ]

[ By Comments ]

More Newser Stories

Koreas Hold 'Constructive' Nuke Talks

Set sights on resuming six-party meetings

Thawing Relations: South Korea Sending Aid to North

5,000 tons of rice, cement to be shipped

US Levies New Sanctions on N. Korea

Clinton, Gates visit DMZ, show solidarity with South

North Korea Severs Ties With South

Irate over 'smear campaign' in battleship's sinking

Obama: We Will Sanction Iran

Obama ups pressure on Tehran, North Korea in South Korean speech

About Us

Site

Community

Site Maps

Tools

More News

What is Newser?