North Korea is suddenly starting to get nervous:
North Korea, probably the world’s most secretive and isolated nation, has offered an olive branch to the US by promising never to sell nuclear materials to terrorists, calling for Washington’s friendship and saying it does not want to suffer the fate of Iraq.
Of course, the usual suspects will still try to argue that Bush’s foreign policy is a "miserable failure" – one can’t be reasoned out of a position they never arrived at by reason. However, this does show that the Bush doctrine has gotten results – first in Libya, and now in North Korea.
UPDATE: It seems as though there is some ambiguity over this piece – and there’s justification to look at it either way. What strikes me is that the North Koreans are privately trying to get on the US’ good side:
Paik Nam-soon, foreign minister, denounced al-Qaeda and other terrorists and said George W. Bush, US president, was using the shock of the September 11 attacks to turn Americans against North Korea. But he said: ” The truth is that we want and need your friendship.
This is North Korea – one wonders how bad things have to be for them to want our help. Granted, North Korea is continuing to develop a nuclear deterrant – but they can’t be sure that will be enough. North Korea’s nuclear deterrent is primarily based on ballistic missile technology – meaning that if we develop credible ABM countermeasures they can’t be 100% sure that nuclear weapons are truly a deterrent. They aren’t in a situation like the US and Russia in the Cold War – we knew that no matter what the Russians would be able to inflict significant damage directly on the American homeland. The Koreans can’t necessarily be sure of that. They know we won’t strike first, but they know that we could easily negate their nuclear trump card in the next decade using boost-phase missile defense systems.
The big untold story is the diplomatic efforts going on behind the scenes. There is one power that can keep North Korea on a short leash. Kim knows there’s a very small chance that the US would attack North Korea – we don’t have the forces in theatre and we couldn’t get them there without a long buildup of forces that would be open to nuclear attack.
China, on the other hand, just might do so. If the DPRK were to attack China, they’d be wiped off the face of the Earth. He also can’t be sure that China won’t make a first strike if they think there’s a threat. China has also been told in no uncertain terms that we will arm South Korea and Japan with nuclear weapons if the situation in Korea degenerates further. China has every interest in keeping the rest of Asia a nuclear-free zone.
The larger point here is that Bush has been criticized heavily for not paying enough attention to North Korea, but we’re seeing a pattern of North Korean capitulation to the US that says that our Korea policy is working. At the very least the DPRK knows full well that if they try to smuggle nuclear technologies, we will find out about them. (Remember the interception of that Korean freighter with missile parts headed to Yemen?)
All things being equal, Bush’s foreign policy in North Korea has produced some substantive results that aren’t being wildly reported and their suddent change of attitude is indicative of that progress.
Jeez, Jay, you’ve set an awfully low bar for a George Bush foreign policy success if a “North Korean Promise” qualifies. By that measure, Clinton’s management of North Korea was even better. He got them to promise to stop nuclear weapons development at least a half dozen times!
While NK promises are suspect, it is worth noting that NK offered this promise without solicitation from Washington. In other words, just the fact that NK would offer this promise is a sign that Bush has their attention.
In fact, NK even states the example of Iraq as their motivating factor.
So is this the end of the problem? Of course not. But it is a sign that Bush’s policies are definitely a step in the right direction.
Dictatorships like NK respect only one thing: strength.
Bush offers such strength and that is exactly why NK fears him.
We definitely know the candidate that NK likes: John Kerry. NK regularly plays his speeches on state-run broadcasts.
So we have quite a choice: the candidate whom NK fears, or the candidate whom NK likes? Hmm….
John Kerry has a way of getting our enemies to really really like him.
The North Vietnamese liked him so much they used his speeches as instruments of psychological torture against American POWs.
The North Koreans like Kerry so much they broadcast his speeches (and being state-run, it’s not like everyone gets this honor.)
If Kerry been around in the 1930’s I am sure that Hitler and Mussolini would have liked Kerry too. He’s just that kind of a guy.
Jay Reding – you have it all wrong. Kim said that he is building his nuclear bombs NOW to deter any US invasion, saying that if Iraq had nucelar weapons, then the US wouldn not have invaded Iraq. You GOPers are so quick to distort things aren’t you.
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1083180244930&p=1012571727092
Man did you get this one wrong – but you’re the sole example Glenn Reynolds at Instapundit is holding up as someone else who got it wrong in his apology for also falling for a soundbite when he should have known better… so don’t feel bad.
BUT NEXT TIME, READ THE FRIGGIN’ LINK, TOOL!
Kim is blowing hot air, as usual. He knows that even one ICBM is enough to stop us from even thinking about invading his country- strength or no strength. The mere threat of Seoul, Tokyo, or Seattle being blasted off the face of the planet is enough to make a Saddam Showdown out of the question- he knows it, and Bush knows it. The presence of a nuke puts everything in pretty clear terms, regardless of who should win the presidency…
North Korea has said time and again, and time and again, and then a few more times, that the lesson they’ve taken from Iraq is that they need to increase the size of their nuclear arsenal. According to US intel (via the Washington post), that’s exactly what they’ve done in the last 2 years.
If you’re touting the increase in nuclear production from North Korea as a diplomatic victory, you need to re-evaluate your definition of victory.
See this post for more.
Wow, I just read the rest of your post and I’ve got a couple questions.
Pattern of North Korean capitulation? North Korea has torn up the 95 Agreed Framework, begun reprocessing plutonium again, kicked out IAEA inspectors, and increased production of nukes since Bush took office. You call this capitulation?
Substantive results? What results has Bush achieved with regard to North Korea that does NOT involve a worthless quote in the Financial Times?
It is really, really hilarious to watch your love of Bush attempt to turn black into white. Bush hasn’t accomplished ANYTHING with North Korea. Quite the opposite, they’ve gone from having a hidden uranium program under Clinton to having both a hidden uranium and open plutonium program under Bush.
Seriously, at least learn a little bit about North Korea before you go claiming right-wing victories where clear losses exist.
J. Black: North Korea was developing nuclear weapons long before the Iraq war, and the 95 Agreed Framework was a sham – especially considering you can’t develop a nuclear weapons program in a year.
Since I apparently have to condense things for people who have trouble with reading comprehension, here’s the Cliff’s Notes version of Bush’s successes in regards to North Korea:
– North Korea dropped their demands of unilateral talks with the US and agreed to multilateral talks with Japan, China, and South Korea.
– China has taken an active role in dealing with North Korea, including putting political and diplomatic pressure on the DPRK and stationing significant amounts of troops along the Chinese side of the Yalu River.
– The North Koreans have stopped calling us evil, capitalist, pig dogs and started playing nice. You don’t start sucking up to someone you hate unless you have a damn good reason for it, and the North Koreans must have some reason. That reason is that they know that even nuclear weapons isn’t a guarantee that they won’t be next on the regime change list. It’s this stategic uncertainty that is driving the DPRKs recent actions.
– North Korea is very tentatively beginning to reform, which in an authoritarian state is usually a sign that things are beginning to fall apart.
What’s inaccurate about blaming Bush for North Korea’s problems is that the DPRK couldn’t have developed a nuclear program in the space of 2 years. They were working on it for some time – and the current situation is at the worst no worse that the previous status quo.
But then again there’s little point in reasoning someone out of a position they never arrived at by reason in the first place.
Again, wow. Jay, a little advice: Stick to topics you’re knowledgeable about. You’re completely out of your league with regard to North Korea. I hate to fisk in a comment, but you deserve it for being so out of the loop.
—North Korea was developing nuclear weapons long before the Iraq war,
No shit. That’s exactly why I said they saw the Iraq war as an excuse to restart and ramp up (NOT START FRESH) their plutonium reprocessing in order to INCREASE their nuclear capability.
—and the 95 Agreed Framework was a sham – especially considering you can’t develop a nuclear weapons program in a year.
Of course it was a sham, whoever denied that? It was an imperfect and unenforceable agreement. It’s value was that it stopped NK plutonium production in its tracks and forced them to go to an underground uranium project. So NK went from a one-track, much slower uranium program under Clinton to a full-on plutonium program IN ADDITION TO the hidden uranium program under Bush.
—North Korea dropped their demands of unilateral talks with the US and agreed to multilateral talks with Japan, China, and South Korea.
Quite a bar you’ve set for success. The number of chairs at the table is a big victory eh? Do you happen to remember the demands the Bush administration made on NK after they admitted to a uranium program in the fall of 2002? I’ll give you the Cliff notes version.
First, afer discovering their hidden uranium program, the Bush administration said we would not negotiate, would not offer aid, would offer no security guarantees and would not engage in talks with NK until they readmitted inspectors and abided by the terms of the 95 framework.
Then, we capitulated and said we would talk but not negotiate.
Then, we capitulated again and said we would negotiate but wouldn’t offer aid.
Then, we capitulated again and said we would give aid but only after North Korea disarmed.
Then, we capitulated again and said we’d negotiate, give security guarantees and give aid after NK disarmed.
Now, we’re to the point of negotiating, offering security guarantees, offering aid through SK and Japan, and promising our own aid after NK disarms.
You take a look at the initial Bush line, then look at the last one. Then tell me again what a huge victory it was for Bush to get multilateral talks instead of unilteral.
Bush drew numerous lines in the sand, and he capitulated to NK, backed up, and wiped out the previous lines every single time.
But then, he did get more chairs at the negotiating table. Woopee.
—China has taken an active role in dealing with North Korea, including putting political and diplomatic pressure on the DPRK and stationing significant amounts of troops along the Chinese side of the Yalu River.
Uh-huh, and what has that political and diplomatic pressure accomplished so far? Not a damn thing. What else has China done for the last 3.5 years of Bush’s term? They’ve supplied NK with 70% of its fuel and 50% of its food and raw materials. What good is Chinese talk when the lifeline of supplies they’re giving NK is the only thing keeping them alive?
China can put all the diplomatic pressure it wants on NK. NK doesn’t give a damn as long as the fuel and food keep flowing…and they do. If Bush were to convince China to stop supplying NK with fuel, THAT would be an accomplishment.
Learn a little lesson here Jay, TALK MEANS SQUAT. Except of course in Bushland, where an interview is a diplomatic coup.
—The North Koreans have stopped calling us evil, capitalist, pig dogs and started playing nice.
No actually they haven’t. Check the KCNA internet site, check Yonhap’s translations of North Korean newscasts, and check direct North Korean broadcasts and statements of the last year. They haven’t changed a bit. Then again, you’ve probably never heard of Yonhap because you’re dumb enough to believe that the rhetoric has stopped. You’re dumb enough to read one article in the FT and conclude that it means a complete cessation of rhetoric from NK. Again, if you’re not plugged into NK or South Korea for that matter, don’t pretend that you are. That way you won’t look like an idiot claiming progress where there is none.
—You don’t start sucking up to someone you hate unless you have a damn good reason for it, and the North Koreans must have some reason.
You call a few quotes to a Brit reporter sucking up? Never have I seen someone take so much from one conversation of a NK official. You think that conversation with the reporter changed ANYTHING? Would you be willing to wager on that? Do you know nothing about NK diplomatic strategies of the last 20 years? Are you really that ignorant?
–That reason is that they know that even nuclear weapons isn’t a guarantee that they won’t be next on the regime change list.
They don’t even need nukes to have that guarantee. They’ve already got 10,000 artillery tubes aimed at Seoul, as well as the world’s biggest special forces ready to flood into SK, as well as a large arsenal of chemical and biological weapons that could kill millions within a week. Have you never read any of the Peninsula war scenarios played out to conclusion by the Pentagon? I have. Do you know anything about the 38th parallel and what kind of damage NK could inflict on SK even while losing the war? I do, and so does Bush.
If you think Bush is willing to accept 5-10 million casualties in SK, including 37,000 US troops and hundreds of thousands of American civilians, you’re an idiot. And I don’t use that term lightly.
NK holds an ace, and that ace is the collateral damage it could inflict on a major US ally EVEN WHILE LOSING A WAR.
—It’s this stategic uncertainty that is driving the DPRKs recent actions.
Driving WHAT actions? Driving an interview? NO SUBSTANTIVE ACTION. NONE. If you’re stupid enough to think that a NK capitulation or Libya-like maneuver is going to follow that meaningless interview, you’re an absolute FOOL.
—North Korea is very tentatively beginning to reform, which in an authoritarian state is usually a sign that things are beginning to fall apart.
Show me TANGIBLE results of that reform. Has it closed down any concentration camps? Dismantled any nukes? Withdrawn any troops from the DMZ? Decreased the size, strength, or capability of the North Korean army? No, no, no and no.
You think scrapping the rationing system and allowing tour groups of South Koreans to visit the north is meaningful reform? Dumb.
—What’s inaccurate about blaming Bush for North Korea’s problems is that the DPRK couldn’t have developed a nuclear program in the space of 2 years.
No shit. Whoever claimed they developed it in 2 years? No one. The claim is that they RESTARTED a dormant program and increased their nuke production in the space of 2 years. Quit arguing against a phantom.
—They were working on it for some time – and the current situation is at the worst no worse that the previous status quo.
To recap the Cliff Notes, pre-Bush = hidden uranium program capable of pumping out 1-2 nukes a year by 2009 when it was deemed to have reached production stage.
Post-Bush = above uranium program PLUS the plutonium reactor program capable of pumping out 3-5 nukes per year IMMEDIATELY.
—But then again there’s little point in reasoning someone out of a position they never arrived at by reason in the first place.
Actually, there’s no point in reasoning with someone that doesn’t have a fucking clue about North Korea, our history of diplomacy with it, or the strategic and military cards it holds.
You go ahead and hold your breath waiting for North Korean reforms to kick in and that Chinese diplomatic pressure to start dismantling nukes and plutonium reactors.
Gonna be waiting a long time, chump.
J Black apparently believes a hidden problem is better than one uncovered and exposed.
Under Clinton NK had a secret nuke program and J Black views that as superior to what we have today, where at least we recognize the problem.
Plus, it is ludicrous for J Black to just dismiss the concept of multilateral pressure as just more chairs at the table. That multilateral pressure does mean something to NK, especially pressure from China.
Is the situation with NK resolved? Of course not…this will take time to resolve…maybe a long time. But under Clinton the problem went undaddressed; under Bush it is being confronted.
By J Black’s reasoning the situation with Hitler in the 30’s was better under Neville Chamberlain than under Churchill.
J Black is also incorrect when he asserts that NK has stepped up nuke production under Bush.
One, to increase nuke production takes time, and it unlikely that NK could ramp up production so quickly. Making Nukes is not like some shake n bake operation.
Two, let’s face it…no one really knows the state of NK’s nuke program. So no one can accurately say what has happened there.
Three, NK would be going along with their nuke program regardless. If NK uses Iraq as an excuse, who can believe them?
The bottom line is this: Kim Jung Il is a mad and evil dictator bent on acquiring WMD, especially nukes. He would do this no matter what and the only way to stop him is to confront him. Bush has the courage to do so; Clinton did not.
The same people who think Bush has made the NK situation worse are following the same line of reasoning that would have said Churchill’s rhetoric during the 30’s was only making the situation with Germany worse, and that Chamberlain’s approach was superior.
Evil can only be stopped by being confronted with strength. And that is what Bush has done, and that is something that Clinton would not do.
And certainly Kerry would simply adopt an appeasement approach to NK; he already has said so. Plus, let’s focus on this: why does NK broadcast Kerry’s speeches? It’s because Kerry is their man. Let’s all remember that when we vote.
Yonkap is a propaganda organ – what they say isn’t important. What is being said privately by North Korean officials is. The fact that the DPRK is speaking on the record that they want closer ties to America is particularly telling.
Which implies you’d rather see China NOT give supplies to North Korea – in which case there WOULD be an invasion as the North Koreans would be desperate for materials.
China can send whatever aid they want. That isn’t the issue. What China has done is tell the North Koreans in no uncertain terms that they will not tolerate the North Koreans raising tensions in the area. They have also made sure that the North Koreans know that there are several divisions of PLA troops along the border and that if the DPRK decides to become the world’s nuclear Wal-Mart, it may be the last thing they ever do. The reason why Bush pushed for multilateral talks is because China is the only country in the world that can sway North Korea. Bilateral talks would have been a waste of time, but once China is working to box in the North Koreans the situation can be stabilized.
North Korea having nukes is no big surprise. Their plutonium program couldn’t have been a reaction to the war in Iraq because it is not possible to build such a program in a year. So long as North Korea knows that A:) an invasion is futile and gains them nothing and B:) any attempt to proliferate weapons technology could result in a preemptive strike against them by China the situation is contained.
But of course, again, you’re trying to justify your anti-Bush position rather than trying to be objective about the realities of the situation. North Korea isn’t going to turn to a democracy overnight – but any substantive change, however small is better than the status quo of the previous decade. I’m not expecting Bush to change the DPRK into a democratic state overnight, but even what small gains have been made are a sign that Bush’s policy is hardly a failure.
—J Black apparently believes a hidden problem is better than one uncovered and exposed.
Wrong. J Black believes that if you’re going to confront North Korea and force their hand into restarting their plutonium program and pumping out more nukes, you better have either another framework to take the place of the last one or a military plan that won’t kill millions. Bush had neither.
—Under Clinton NK had a secret nuke program and J Black views that as superior to what we have today, where at least we recognize the problem.
Do you know the difference between a uranium program and a plutonium one? Do you understand the difference in the difficulty of produing nukes with each and the time frames involved with each? Didn’t think so.
There are no good solutions to the NK problem, only stopgaps unless you’re willing to commit to a full war, which BUSH IS NOT. Clinton also wasn’t ready to commit to war and accept the level of casualties that came along with it, so he put a stopgap in place to limit the potential production and buy us time until the Chinese, South Koreans, and Japanese came around to a blockade and or more aggressive strangulation. The 95 framework was flawed, but served a purpose.
So Bush has recognized the problem, so the fuck what? He hasn’t had the balls to punish China or South Korea with economic sanctions to cut their supplies (CH) and bribes (SK) in order to make further economic pressure work.
You guys keep praising Bush for recognizing the problem? Great, now how about having the nuts to take steps that might lead toward a permanent solution to it? So far, he’s gotten nowhere, and you’re praising him for it.
—Plus, it is ludicrous for J Black to just dismiss the concept of multilateral pressure as just more chairs at the table. That multilateral pressure does mean something to NK, especially pressure from China.
Show me don’t tell me. Multilateral talks are obviously better than unilateral, but in the overall scheme they mean absolutely nothing if South Korea, China, and Japan refuse to exert MEANINGFUL pressure on NK. So far, they haven’t, and that’s why this problem is no closer to solution than it was 4 years ago. Bush is too much of a pussy to lean on our Asian allies.
—Is the situation with NK resolved? Of course not…this will take time to resolve…maybe a long time. But under Clinton the problem went undaddressed; under Bush it is being confronted.
The only positive thing Bush has accomplished was cutting off oil deliveries and stopping construction of the LWNR. He gets credit for that, but what else has he done that deserves praise? Nothing. If you think giving speeches in Beijing is “confronting” North Korea, you’re clueless. Bush is afraid to confront North Korea now because of election year politics and if he’s re-elected, he’ll be faced with the same decision as every president since Reagan: Go to war and destroy South Korea along with millions of innocent people, or continue watching North Korea build nukes.
—By J Black’s reasoning the situation with Hitler in the 30’s was better under Neville Chamberlain than under Churchill.
Churchill had the balls to go to war. Bush is still Chamberlain at this point with regard to NK. Going to war in Iraq was easy. North Korea is a whole new ballgame, and the fact that the US has sat back and capitulated to NK and paid them off for the last 20 years (under BOTH Rep and Dem presidents) is proof positive of that fact.
—Yonkap is a propaganda organ – what they say isn’t important.
It’s YonHap, and it’s a South Korean media outlet, not North. Study up.
—What is being said privately by North Korean officials is. The fact that the DPRK is speaking on the record that they want closer ties to America is particularly telling.
Nobody (including Dubya) gives a fuck what North Korea SAYS. What they DO is the only thing that matters. Saying they want closer ties with America is their way of saying they want oil and cash from America. Beyond that, they could give a fuck about ties with America. In fact, NK NEEDS America as an enemy for domestic political purposes and to maintain their death grip on the public. You can’t scare people into submission while you’re holding hands with your sworn enemy. Learn Jay, learn.
—Which implies you’d rather see China NOT give supplies to North Korea – in which case there WOULD be an invasion as the North Koreans would be desperate for materials.
The ONLY POSSIBLE WAY of reaching an acceptable conclusion to the NK problem is war or internal collapse. If the war is started by the North, we’re off the hook, so China cutting them off is one way of going from that angle. If Bush starts a pre-emptive war that kills millions, America will have not a single ally left on earth. Internal collapse will only occur through the participation of NK neighbors in a slow strangulation. Any other endgame is fantasy, as is the ridiculous notion that NK will follow China into reform, capitalism, and eventual democracy. North Korea is a cult of personality, and reform will destroy the cult and all those who run it.
Christ, you sound like pathetic South Korean lefty appeasers with dreams of reform for their northern brothers. Give it up, it’ll never happen.
—They have also made sure that the North Koreans know that there are several divisions of PLA troops along the border and that if the DPRK decides to become the world’s nuclear Wal-Mart, it may be the last thing they ever do.
The strategic goal is to prevent them from building a nuclear stockpile in the first place, because why the fuck would North Korea care what happens to them after a war? With a nuclear stockpile, they can go out in a sea of fire and numerous mushroom clouds. That’s a victory in itself for a people that value their own sovereignty far more than they value life.
North Korea is not Iraq. They will not roll over in 3 weeks. They’ll destroy as much as is possible in the knowledge that the damage they cause will itself be a defeat for America regardless of who emerges with control.
—North Korea having nukes is no big surprise. Their plutonium program couldn’t have been a reaction to the war in Iraq because it is not possible to build such a program in a year.
Jesus Christ, how many times do I have to say that NO ONE CLAIMED THEIR PLUTONIUM PROGRAM WAS A REACTION TO THE IRAQ WAR! The plutonium program’s been around for 20+ years for fuck’s sake. It was restarted, hear that, R E S T A R T E D in the fall of 2002 as a reaction to Bush cutting off oil shipments and in preparation for the war in Iraq.
—So long as North Korea knows that A:) an invasion is futile and gains them nothing and B:) any attempt to proliferate weapons technology could result in a preemptive strike against them by China the situation is contained.
If you think North Korea building up a large nuclear program is “keeping the situation contained” then how in the fuck can you criticize Clinton’s handling of North Korea? That’s exactly what happened on his watch. Now it’s happening on Bush’s watch, and all of a sudden it’s good policy?
Containment is not the goal. Non-profileration and keeping nukes out of madmen’s hands IS, and that means completely dismantling the program.
You can’t have it both ways. If you set that bar at containment, then I want to hear a nice round of applause for Clinton, because he contained them quite well.
If you want to set the bar of success at eliminating North Korea’s nuclear program, then you have to admit that Bush is NO FURTHER ALONG THE ROAD to that goal than Clinton was.
Talk is cheap. Interviews with the FT do not equal progress or success. They equal jack shit.
—North Korea isn’t going to turn to a democracy overnight
North Korea isn’t going to turn into a democracy ever without a war. Plenty of people much smarter than you or I have already figured this out.
—but any substantive change, however small is better than the status quo of the previous decade.
I would agree with you if there were in fact any substantive change to point to. In fact, there is nothing to point to, big or small.
By the way, here are a couple more great signs from North Korea signaling cooperation, reform, and friendliness to America. These 2 articles just from today’s papers:
http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200405/05/200405052351452109900090209021.html
North Korea appears to be preparing for a series of tests on long-range ballistic missile engines, diplomatic sources and defense officials said yesterday.
The resumption of testing comes almost a year and a half after an explosion at a missile testing complex in North Hamgyeong province severely damaged the facilities.
U.S. and South Korean governments are increasing surveillance of the test site following intelligence reports that the North is resuming development of Taepodong 2 missiles, which have a range of up to 6,000 kilometers (4,200 miles), according to the sources. These are intermediate-range ballistic missiles developed by the North using Chinese liquid fuel engines as a first stage rocket and North Korea’s Rodong missile as a second stage. If launched, they can reach as far as Alaska, but these missiles have not been deployed.
A diplomatic source said that in December, North Korea restored its missile facilities and a 30-meter (33-foot) launching pad. “We have confirmed that they have moved the crane that would hoist the oxidizer ― the liquid fuel of the missile ― and the rocket,” the source said, adding the North appeared to be nearing completion of an effort to test engines for the long-range missile development.
The source said, “In the midst of the inter-Korean ministerial meeting and the upcoming working group meeting of the six-party talks beginning next Wednesday, we believe the North is trying to increase its negotiating leverage with the U.S.”
A defense ministry official said, “There is a possibility North Korea will go ahead with full-scale engine testing, regardless of the six-party talks and the nuclear agenda.”
In August 1998, North Korea launched a Taepodong 1 missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers. South Korean and U.S. intelligence say that when the North undertakes engine combustion testing, the capability and range of the new missiles can be determined by measuring the flame of the rocket.
http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20040505/320000000020040505152700E2.html
North Korea’s top delegate Kwon Ho-ung demanded South Korea to stop having joint military exercises with the United States if it wants to improve inter-Korean relations, according to Shin Un-sang, a spokesman for the South Korean delegation.
Kwon claimed the drills are aimed at an invasion of North Korea since the U.S. designated the North as a target for a preemptive nuclear attack and kept the country on its list of terrorism-supporting countries.
In his keynote speech, the delegate also called for the scrapping of the purported U.S. move to deploy a destroyer equipped with the advanced Aegis anti-missile system in the East Sea between the Korean Peninsula and Japan.