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STRATFOR.com
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THE INTERNET SOURCE FOR GLOBAL INTELLIGENCE
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NORTH KOREA: Admission Aimed at Drawing U.S. Into Talks
October 18, 2002
Summary
North Korea's reported confession about its ongoing nuclear program is part of a broader strategy to push Washington into final peace talks. Pyongyang has successfully used crises in the past to force dialogue with Washington, and North Korea's leadership has been building up to a confrontation in 2003, the 50th anniversary of the armistice that ended the Korean War.
Image Credit: Stratfor.com.
Analysis
North Korean officials reportedly admitted to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly during his Oct. 3-5 visit to Pyongyang that Pyongyang has an active nuclear program. According to a U.S. State Department report, North Korea blamed the United States and said U.S. actions had nullified the 1994 Agreed Framework that promised internationally financed light water reactors in exchange for Pyongyang's pledge to end its nuclear program. STRATFOR's Russian diplomatic sources added more detail to the recent exchange, claiming Pyongyang said it was natural for North Korea to have a nuclear program since Washington had labeled the country part of the axis of evil.
North Korea's confession has sent shockwaves throughout Northeast Asia and beyond. Japan and South Korea have called on Pyongyang to adhere to previous nuclear accords, and both countries now face a serious domestic dilemma in their ongoing negotiations with North Korea. The European Union is questioning its commitment to fund the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO), the consortium overseeing the construction of light water reactors. And the United States is pointing to North Korea's ongoing nuclear program to bolster its case for an attack on Iraq.
(The Rest of the Story)
(c) 2001 Stratfor, Inc.
Dan
North Korea: Admission Aimed at Drawing U.S. Into Talks . . .