Deal Struck, Kim Will Dismantle Nuke Plants

New regime does not appear eager to improve relations

(NEWSER) - North Korea reprimanded Japan last night and today for what it sees as a failure to show respect for Kim Jong Il's death, the latest sign that a regime change in Pyongyang will not bring improved relations with rival countries. The state news agency last night admonished Japan for not allowing North Korean sympathizers to leave Japan for North Korea in order to offer their condolences, as well as for holding a security meeting upon hearing of Kim's death. The language was similar to that used in a warning issued to South Korea after Kim's death. More»

Reporters granted rare visit with Richardson

(NEWSER) - North Korea has a deadline: For years, it's promised that an age of prosperity will begin in 2012, the 100th anniversary of Kim Il-Sung's birth. With 18 months to go, two journalists accompanying Bill Richardson on an unprecedented trip to North Korea found that the government will be hard-pressed to achieve that goal, though its desire to do so may be behind a few recent conciliatory measures undertaken by Pyongyang. Sharon LaFraniere reports on her trip to the Dear Leader's domain in the New York Times . More»

Bilateral negotiations would be first directly between nations

(NEWSER) - The US diplomat in charge of North Korea policy will visit Pyongyang next month for the first bilateral nuclear negotiations between the countries, South Korea’s JoongAng Ilbo reports today. Amid signs from reclusive Kim Jong Il of a thaw in relations, Stephen Bosworth will lead a delegation that will also visit China and Japan, key players in six-party talks aimed at curbing the North’s nuclear ambitions. More»

(NEWSER) - Following a UN reprimand—and North Korea’s indignant exit from multilateral talks on its nuclear program—Pyongyang has expelled international inspectors, the Wall Street Journal reports. The International Atomic Energy Agency will announce the move shortly. North Korea called the UN statement an “unbearable insult,” but some experts see the expulsion as political brinksmanship based on the perception of a more cooperative Obama administration. More»

UN sanctions will derail disarmament talks: Pyongyang

(NEWSER) - As the date of a promised “satellite launch” nears, North Korea has placed a long-range ballistic missile on the launch pad used for earlier test firings, Reuters reports. South Korea, Japan, and the US plan to seek UN sanctions if the nuclear power goes forward with what analysts believe will really be the test of a three-stage rocket that could reach as far as Alaska. More»