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Started by C Miller; Last updated Feb 27, 08 8:08 AM CST by D Lim | View history

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North Korea

Combine an unpredictable dictator with a nuclear reactor, and all bets are off

When President Bush included North Korea in a certain Evil Axis in the 2002 State of the Union, it spelled the beginning of an unprecedented nuclear buildup there—producing as many as a dozen atomic bombs. Rogue strongman Kim Jong-Il maintains the menacing reactor in Yongbyon has peaceful applications, but the US and China have put serious, if vacillating, pressure on Pyongyang to shut it down. Recent resumption of talks—and the unfreezing of $25 million in a bank in Macau—seem to be bearing diplomatic fruit, with some saying a disarmament deal may be imminent.

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December 2007
- U-Turn on Iran Will Shake Up Foreign Policy
  
  New York Times | Dec 4, 07 8:44 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The National Intelligence Estimate's findings yesterday that Iran halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003 will have dramatic fallout at home and abroad, the New York Times reports, beginning with the collapse of the White House's recent campaign to portray Iran as an immediate threat to world peace. It will erode international support for tougher sanctions against Iran, and take off the table the "widely rumored and feared" possibility of military intervention pushed by hardliners in the Bush administration. More »
November 2007
- Koreas at Impasse on Fishing Zone
  
  Reuters | Nov 28, 07 7:17 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - The second day of talks between North and South Korean defense ministers hit a snag today, writes Reuters, as efforts to find a compromise on the disputed maritime border fell short. The two ministers had also sought to begin steps towards a formal peace treaty to end the 1950-53 Korean War, but the North is unwilling to do so before a new border is established and the US pledges not to attack the North. More »
- Koreas' Defense Chiefs Begin Peace Talks
  
  CNN | Nov 27, 07 5:19 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - South Korea's defense minister is negotiating today with his North Korean counterpart in a bid to settle the nations' disputed sea border. The first talks between defense ministers in seven years aims to deepen the agreements from last month's landmark summit calling for greater peace via economic collaboration. More »
- US Places Diplomat in N. Korea
  
  Chosun Ilbo (South Korea) | Nov 26, 07 10:05 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Washington has had a "permanent" diplomat stationed in Pyongyang since mid-month, a source tells the South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo, marking the first time a US official has been assigned full-time to North Korea. The move is seen as a precursor to possible normalization of relations between the US and North Korea. More »
- Rudy Partners Served Some Sketchy Clients
  
  Chicago Tribune | Nov 24, 07 8:32 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - Rudy Giuliani's presidential bid has focused on his record as mayor of New York, while his highly lucrative run at Giuliani Partners has received little scrutiny. The company declines to reveal all the clients in its far-flung portfolio, but the Chicago Tribune did some digging on one, a proposed $3.5-billion gambling casino in Singapore, and turned up a partner tied to organized crime, Kim Jong Il, and Saddam Hussein. More »
- Thousands Flee N. Korea Via Covert Network
  
  Washington Post | Nov 18, 07 5:24 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Thousands are fleeing Kim Jong Il's regime, thanks to an expanding network of brokers who smuggle defectors to Seoul through China, the Washington Post reports. Savvy Seoul brokers charge them up to $10,000 for a luxury "planned escape," complete with fake documents, but stakes are rising as Beijing and Pyonyang tighten border control. Citizens caught trying to flee face prison time—officials who aid them, execution. More »
- Bush, Japanese PM Boost Ties
  
  Reuters | Nov 16, 07 5:25 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - President Bush and new Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda today vowed to reconcile hot-button issues concerning North Korea and Afghanistan that have strained relations, Reuters reports. In his first visit to the White House, Fukuda pledged to do his "utmost" to renew a refueling mission for coalition forces in Afghanistan, which has been halted by a parliamentary stalemate. More »
- Korea Chiefs to Launch Border-Busting Railway
  
  Associated Press | Nov 16, 07 2:10 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - In their latest step toward closer ties, the leaders of North and South Korea have agreed to establish a cross-border train system to strengthen economic connections. Beginning in December freight trains will follow a 16-mile track through the heavily patrolled border frontier to a joint industrial complex in North Korea's Kaesong. Two dozen South Korean companies employ some 20,000 North Koreans in the factory complex. More »
- Korean PMs Get Down to Business
  
  AFP | Nov 14, 07 7:19 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - North Korea's prime minister is in Seoul today for the start of a 3-day summit with his South Korean counterpart. The leaders are discussing how to implement peace agreements from last month's landmark meeting of the two Korean top leaders. But in the first visit by a northern leader to Seoul in 15 years, Kim Yong-Il will also seek to ensure a massive aid package from South Korea. More »
- US Urges Japan to Return to Afghanistan
  
  Reuters | Nov 8, 07 1:25 PM CST
  
  (Newser) - Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged Japan today to resume a naval support mission for US operations in Afghanistan, Reuters reports. Japan has conducted refueling operations in the region for the past six years at a cost of approximately $195 million. The mission was stopped earlier this month after an opposition party, citing lack of a UN mandate, withdrew support. More »
- North Korea Disabling Nukes
  
  AFP | Nov 6, 07 3:03 AM CST
  
  (Newser) - North Korea has begun disabling its nuclear installations under the supervision of a team of nine US experts, reports Agence France Presse . Work started at plutonium production facilities in the Yongbyon complex, where North Korea has already shut down a reactor. "Obviously, it is going to take some time," said a State Department spokesman. North Korea currently has enough plutonium to build several bombs. More »
- North Korea's Dancing Agitprop
  
  Economist | Nov 3, 07 3:07 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The 2,000 Western tourists who managed to visit North Korea this year—four times as many as were allowed in 2002—offer a weirdly illuminating glimpse into the propaganda-saturated country closed to journalists, notes the Economist . Kim Jong-Il’s “Mass Games” performances—packed with synchronized dancing eggs and tens of thousands of gymnasts, make visits to the “basket-case state” unforgettable for the intrepid. More »
- Obama Vows New Ties With Iran
  
  New York Times | Nov 2, 07 2:10 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Barack Obama says he would take a much different approach to Iran than the Bush administration, pushing high-level talks and economic incentives in exchange for cooperation on Iraq and nuclear issues. In an interview with the Times, the candidate said Iran's obstinance on those issues is caused in part by Washington's aggressive policies and rhetoric. More »
- US Team to Disable Nuke Plant
  
  Reuters | Nov 1, 07 2:50 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A US team arrived in Pyongyang today and is to begin disabling North Korea's nuclear complex this week—a process which experts say will zap plutonium production for at least a year, but falls short of destruction. North Korea has agreed to abandon its nuclear program in exchange for 1 million metric tons of heavy fuel oil or its equivalent, Reuters reports. More »
October 2007
- Syria's Alleged Nuke Site Gone in Puff of Smoke
  
  Washington Post | Oct 25, 07 7:01 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A Syrian military facility bombed in an Israeli air strike last month has been quickly—and mysteriously—razed and cleared, according to a new photograph taken by a commercial satellite. The Syrian government had been accused of building a nuclear reactor on the site capable of producing weapons, the Washington Post reports, though Damascus has denied the allegations.