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Tuesday Jul 26, 2005 N. Korea says denuclearization is goal 
North Korea's envoy to international disarmament talks said Tuesday that his country was ready to work on eliminating atomic weapons from the Korean Peninsula 

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2008

Wednesday 30 April 2008 Famine fears for North Korea

Saturday Apr 5, 2008 Gazette
U.S. and North Korean negotiators will meet in Singapore Tuesday, but the talks are not expected to yield North Korea's overdue declaration of its nuclear programs, the State Department said yesterday. The State Department played down expectations for the talks between U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill and North Korea's Kim Kye-gwan, which are part of a stalled effort to persuade Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear ambitions. A 2005 accord under which North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear programs in exchange for economic and diplomatic benefits has been bogged down by Pyongyang's foot-dragging.

Week 03 April 2008 North Korea South Korea News

Wednesday 27 February 2008 The New York Philharmonic Orchestra has concluded its unprecedented 48-hour visit to North Korea with a concert in Pyongyang which was broadcast live on North Korean television. The 2,500 listeners were enthusiastic with the performance which was preceded by the performance of the two national anthems. North Korea's deputy culture minister, Song Sok Hwan, said at a banquet that the orchestra had "opened the hearts of the Korean people."

Tuesday 26 February 2008 U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was due in Beijing on Tuesday for talks with top Chinese officials. One topic on the agenda is North Korea's nuclear program. That country agreed in 2005 to abandon all nuclear weapons in exchange for economic rewards. The government in Pyongyang was to have completed the disclosure of its nuclear weapons programs by the end of last year but failed to do so. Miss Rice will try to persuade her hosts to use their influence with North Korea to persuade the country to fulfil its disclosure obligation.

The New York Philharmonic Orchestra has arrived in Pyongyang for an unprecedented visit to North Korea, a country with which the U.S. is technically still at war. The 106-member orchestra was welcomed by dancers and musicians beating traditional drums. The orchestra is the first major American cultural organization to visit the secretive Communist state. The visitors were to play a concert on Tuesday, and the players will also give master classes to North Korean students.

Sunday 27 January 2008 North Korea said on Saturday that a peace treaty formally ending the Korean War should be signed as soon as possible to ease military tensions with the United States. The remark was made in Rodong Sinmun, newspaper of the Communist Party. A six-nation agreement on scrapping the North Korea's nuclear programmes proposes a peace treaty, along with normalized U.S.-North Korean relations, but only when North Korea surrenders its nuclear material.

Friday 18 January 2008 A special envoy of US President George W. Bush said Thursday North Korea is unlikely to abandon its nuclear weapons before Mr. Bush leaves office in January 2009. The special envoy, Jay Lefkowitz, also accused China and South Korea of not exerting enough pressure on North Korea to end its nuclear weapons drive.

2007

Friday 02 November 2007 A team of U.S. experts from the departments of energy and state have arrived in Pyongyang to start the disablement of the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon. The team will work with North Koreans, while supervising and co-ordinating the effort. North Korea agreed in February that it would abandon its nuclear program and disable the reactor, reprocessing plant an fuel fabrication plant at Yongbyon in return for political concessions and oil.

Monday 08 October 2007 A report Sunday said North Korea will likely begin disabling its nuclear facilities in the middle of October under a recently struck international deal. South Korea's Yonhap news agency, citing unnamed officials, said the process will take about 45 days. North Korea pledged to disable its main nuclear facilities and declare all its programs by year's end in a disarmament accord reached last week with the US, China, Russia, South Korea and Japan. A team of US experts will travel to North Korea on Tuesday to create a plan for future teams to begin the disablement of the Yongbyon nuclear reactor. Other teams would then go to North Korea to disable the facilities.

Thursday 04 October 2007 The North Korean government has agreed at six-nation talks in the Chinese capital to dismantle its three nuclear facilities at its sole nuclear plant at Yongbyon and to declare all of its nuclear programs by the end of the year. The accord involves the two Koreas, Japan, Russia, China and the U.S. North Korea will receive 950,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil in return and the U.S. government will begin the procedures to remove it from a list of terrorist nations. The North Korean government first agreed in principle to the arrangement but the details remained arduously to be negotiated. In Washington, U.S. President George W. Bush welcomed the development, saying it represented the parties' commitment to a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.

Wednesday 03 October 2007 South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun was greeted in Pyongyang on Tuesday by North Korean leader Kim Jong-il on Tuesday and the two will have a formal meeting on Wednesday in what was to be only the second summit between the two sides. Mr. Roh has said he wants to ease tensions between them and to help the North Korean economy. It's unclear whether the visitor will press his host to implement the six-nation agreement by which North Korea promised to end its nuclear program in return for massive aid.

Thursday 27 September 2007 U.S. hopeful as North Korea talks open in China
BEIJING (Reuters) - The U.S. envoy was hopeful and his South Korean counterpart wary as delegates from six countries opened talks on Thursday aimed at dismantling North Korea's nuclear weapons program.

Friday 14 September 2007 The United States and China will provide tens of millions of dollars in fuel aid to North Korea as it moves to declare and disable its nuclear weapons program. A U.S. official says the Bush administration notified Congress earlier this week that shipments would made within the month. Under U.S. law, Congress has to be informed of any U.S. aid to North Korea. South Korea provided a first shipment of fuel aid in July after North Korea closed its main nuclear plant. The Chinese and American shipments are expected to head to North Korea after it agrees to declare and disable its nuclear program at a six-party meeting in Beijing, possibly next week.

Thursday 13 September 2007 North Korea continues apparently to respect the agreement last February to shut down its nuclear program in return for international aid. American, Russian and Chinese inspectors on Wednesday report having been given access to a reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex. The U.S. state department says the inspectors will visit other parts of the complex on Thursday prior to talks with North Korean officials. North Korea shut Yongbyon in July as part of the accord between the six nations, including itself. The other parties are China, the U.S., Russia, South Korea and Japan. In addition to energy aid, North Korea is to receive security guarantees and diplomatic benefits.

Monday 03 September 2007 N. Korea sets target to dismantle nukes GENEVA–North Korea agreed yesterday to account for and disable all its nuclear programs by the end of the year, the chief U.S. negotiator said – the first time the country has offered a timeline to end its secretive atomic program.

Monday 03 September 2007 Nuclear Pact Broadening, North Korea and U.S. Say
The top American negotiator with North Korea said that the country agreed to account to international monitors for all of its nuclear programs.
The top American negotiator with North Korea said yesterday that the country had agreed to disable its main nuclear fuel production plant by the end of the year and to account to international monitors for all of its nuclear programs, including what American intelligence agencies say they believe was a second, secret program purchased from Pakistan.

Monday 03 September 2007 A breakthrough is reported in nuclear talks in Geneva between senior envoys from the United States and North Korea. U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said that North Korea agreed to provide a full declaration of its nuclear programs and has pledged to disable them by the end of this year. Details will be discussed during the next round of six-party talks scheduled later this month in Beijing.

Tuesday 14 August 2007 North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Kim Kye-gwan has arrived in Beijing for possible talks with his US counterpart. Those talks would come ahead of next week's meeting on North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Last month Pyongyang shut its Soviet-era reactor and a plant that makes arms-grade plutonium in exchange for 50,000 tonnes of heavy fuel as part of a disarmament deal it struck last February. That agreement was negotiated by South Korea, China, Japan, Russia and the United States.

Sunday 29 July 2007 A second team of United Nations nuclear experts arrived in North Korea on Saturday to monitor the shutdown and sealing of the country's sole plutonium-producing reactor. The U.N. confirmed last week that North Korea had shut down its sole functioning reactor. U.N. inspectors also are working to verify the status of two unfinished reactors, a spent fuel reprocessing facility and a fuel fabrication plant. North Korea exploded a test nuclear weapon in October. But four months later, North Korea agreed to scrap its nuclear program in exchange for economic and political concessions in a deal with the U.S., Russia, China, Japan and South Korea.

Tuesday 17 July 2007 The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohammed ElBaradei, confirmed on Monday North Korea's announcement on Sunday that it had shut down its sole atomic reactor at Yongbong. Mr. ElBaradei says his inspectors have confirmed that the facility is shut down. The inspectors arrived in North Korea on Saturday on a ship carrying 6,200 tonnes of fuel oil from South Korea. North Korea has been promised 50,000 tonnes by its neighbour in return for the entire windup of its nuclear program. Nine-hundred-and-fifty-thousand tonnes in all have been promised. The chief U.S. negotiator for North Korea, Christopher Hill, says that Monday's development is a positive step but much hard discussion remains for the six-nation grouping that is negotiating an end to the North Korean nuclear program.

Sunday 15 July 2007 North Koreans Say They’ve Shut Nuclear Reactor
By DAVID E. SANGER
The North Korean claim, synchronized with a shipment of fuel oil from South Korea, marked the first step toward reversing a confrontation with the U.S.
North Korea sent the announcement through the country’s small mission to the United Nations at 9:30 a.m. yesterday, according to Christopher R. Hill, the assistant secretary of state who negotiated the accord to close the reactor that was agreed to in February. The reactor shutdown comes nine months after North Korea conducted a nuclear test, but it is unclear whether the country has mastered the ability to deliver or sell a working nuclear weapon.
The North Korean claim, which was carefully synchronized with the arrival of a first shipment of fuel oil from South Korea, can be easily verified by the 10-member inspection team from the International Atomic Energy Agency, though communications are slow from the bleak, heavily guarded nuclear site at Yongbyon, roughly 60 miles north of Pyongyang, North Korea’s capital.

Tuesday 03 July 2007 U.S. officials report that the North Korean government wants to receive part of the heavy fuel oil it was promised in return for shutting down its nuclear program before it closes its single nuclear reactor. The reactor at Yongbyon is supposed to be closed as part of the Feb. 6 six-nation accord to give North Korea 50,000 tonnes of heavy fuel oil in return for the ending of the nuclear program. Last week, the chief U.S. negotiator for North Korea, Christopher Hill, said Yongbyon should be closed down before the six-nation negotiations resume. The reactor is reported to be operating as usual with no signs of preparation to close it.

Saturday Jun 30, 2007 UN, NORTH KOREA REACH NUCLEAR REACTOR AGREEMENT
The UN nuclear watchdog and North Korea have reached an agreement on how the agency will monitor and verify shutdown of the country's main nuclear reactor, a top official said Friday.

Sunday Jun 17, 2007 North Korea has invited monitors from the United Nations nuclear watchdog to visit the country to discuss shutting down a key nuclear reactor. The state news agency made the announcement after the release of North Korean funds that had been frozen by the United States in a Macau bank. The U.S. government charged that North Korea was laundering money that it received through illegal activity. As of late Saturday, the money was in transit with a Russian bank and still unavailable to North Korea. North Korea had demanded that the money be returned before it could go ahead with the nuclear deal made in February during six-party talks. Under the deal, North Korea would be granted aid in exchange for shutting down its Soviet-era reactor and for permitting inspections.

Sunday May 27, 2007 N. KOREA FIRES MISSILES INTO SEA OF JAPAN: REPORTS
North Korea fired several guided missiles into the Sea of Japan on Friday, reports said, but diplomats from the U.S., Japan and South Korea played down the incident as a standard annual test launch.

Friday 25 May 2007

One in your eye May 25th 2007

Wednesday 09 May 2007 nyt Wrestling Nuclear Genies Back Into the Bottle, or at Least a Can
The North Koreans have a way of making even patient people apoplectic.

Monday 07 May 2007 North Korea ready to shut down reactor
"The shutdown is something that can be done immediately and it won't take long," Ri Kyong Son, vice spokesman at the ministry, told APTN in an interview in Pyongyang.

Tuesday 10 April 2007

Problems arising from the expected failure of North Korea to miss a deadline to shut down its plutonium reactor at Yongbyon on April 14th uk.reuters.com

Tuesday 13 March 2007 U.N. nuclear chief arrives in N. Korea
The chief U.N. nuclear inspector expressed hope for progress in relations with North Korea as he arrived Tuesday in Pyongyang for talks on implementing a landmark nuclear disarmament agreement.

Wednesday 14 February 2007 nyt Pact With North Korea Draws Fire From a Wide Range of Critics in U.S.
The deal represented a bureaucratic victory for Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who has pushed for a more diplomatic approach with North Korea.

nyt The Lesson of North Korea
We hope that President Bush learns the most basic lesson of this week’s deal with Pyongyang: sometimes you really do have to talk to your enemies, even if you have to grit your teeth.

Tuesday 13 February 2007 North Korea deal reached
Negotiators from six nations have announced a tentative – and fragile – agreement that could begin the nuclear disarmament of the isolated and secretive regime in North Korea.

Monday 12 February 2007 nyt Nuclear Talks on North Korea Hit RoadblockThe negotiations appeared near collapse on Sunday over North Korea’s demands for huge shipments of fuel oil and electricity.

Saturday 10 February 2007 Deal to Shut Major North Korean Nuclear Facilities Appears CloserDespite cautious words from an American envoy, North Korea appeared closer to agreeing to a deal on Friday.

Friday 09 February 2007 Optimism abounds as N. Korea nuclear talks begin
International talks on North Korea's nuclear program resumed Thursday after its envoy said he was ready to discuss initial steps toward nuclear disarmament, raising hopes for the first tangible progress at the talks since they began more than three years ago.

2006

Monday 25 December 2006 The first round of six-party talks aimed at disarming North Korea's nuclear program has ended in Beijing without an agreement. Also, there was no announcement of when the next round of negotiations will be held. The talks resumed Monday after North Korea ended a 13-month boycott, during which it conducted a nuclear weapon test. Discussions focused on how to implement a September, 2005 joint statement that promised aid to North Korea and security assurances in return for nuclear disarmament. But North Korean officials refused to talk about their nuclear program until the United States removed financial restrictions it imposed on the régime. The meetings was attended by representatives from China, Japan, Russia, the two Koreas and the United States.

Saturday 02 December 2006 The Canadian government has announced it will start implementing UN-mandated sanctions on North Korea because of its nuclear program. Canadian Foreign Minister Peter MacKay says his country will put sanctions into effect aimed at forcing North Korea verifiably to abandon its weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. North Korea tested a nuclear weapon on Oct. 9, which was followed five days later by a Security Council resolution authorizing the sanctions. Mr. MacKay says Canada welcomes North Korea's decision to return to the six-nation talks on its nuclear program. The Globe and Mail newspaper reports that Canada and the U.S. have consulted on the possibility of possible joint naval operations aimed at preventing further development of that program. Sunday 19 November 2006 Canadian ambassador heads to N. Korea
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has sent a Canadian diplomat to North Korea to try and persuade the Stalinist country to restart efforts to resolve the global standoff over its nuclear-weapons program.

Saturday 04 November 2006 Two high-ranking U.S. diplomats will visit Asia next week to prepare the resumption of the six-nation negotiations on North Korea's nuclear program. That country agreed to the resumption earlier this week. The two diplomats will visit Tokyo, Bejing and Seoul both the prepare for the talks and to make sure that the sanctions which the UN decreed as a result of North Korea's nuclear weapon test on Oct. 9 are enforced. Participants in the negotiations are the two Koreas, the U.S., Japan, Russia, China and the U.S.

Wednesday 01 November 2006 North Korea has agreed to return to six-party talks to discuss its nuclear program. China's foreign ministry says North Korea, the United States and China agreed to resume the talks at a time convenient for all six parties. The other three countries involved in the talks are South Korea, Japan and Russia. The talks broke off last November without progress. Earlier this month, the United Nations Security Council imposed financial and arms sanctions on North Korea after it carried out a nuclear test. Beijing bluntly criticized the nuclear test and supported the

Tuesday 31 October 2006 N. Korea agrees to resume nuclear talks
North Korea has agreed to return to talks on its nuclear programme and they could start within one month, the United States announced Tuesday, just weeks after the regime stunned the world with an atom bomb test.

Friday 27 October 2006 China could soon face a flood of North Korean refugees. The warning comes in a new report by the International Crisis Group, a think-tank based in Brussels. The report notes that North Koreans are at risk of another famine because of their country's increasing isolation in the world and the government's strict control over farming and trade. Many North Koreans seek refuge in China. But China's government repatriates as many as 300 North Koreans each week. The report urges China to stop forcing North Koreans to return home and to ease restrictions on their marrying Chinese.

Fri 20/10/2006 U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says her country's government won't try to force its allies to enforce the UN-decreed sanctions against North Korea in a particular but also stressing that all UN members have promised to prevent that country from exporting nuclear technology or from receiving foreign aid for its nuclear program. The sanctions were imposed in response to North Korea's nuclear weapon test on Oct. 9. Miss Rice made her comments in Seoul after a meeting with South Korea's foreign minister, Ban Ki-moon. He says the South Korean government will review its economic projects in the North but offered no specific promises. Meanwhile, Chinese State Councillor Tang Jiaxuan has met in Pyongyang with North Korean President Kim Jong-il, to whom he delivered a message from his Chinese counterpart, Hu Jintao. In Washington, the state department reacted by saying that Mr. Tang delivered "a very strong message" from Beijing that North Korea is not to conduct further nuclear tests.

Wednesday 18 October 2006 There is uncertainty about the extent to which China will enforce the UN resolution approved by the Security Council on North Korea's weapons programs. The resolution demands that UN member states put an embargo on major weapons systems to that country and freeze assets of businesses connected to them. The Chinese government says it has begun inspecting cargo trucks bound for North Korea and increased work to build a fence along their border. China's UN ambassador, Wang Guangya, says his country will implement the sanctions required by the resolution. But Mr. Wang says China won't stop and board ships that could be carrying equipment that could be used to make nuclear, chemical or biological weapons or ballistic missiles. The envoy says China interprets the Council resolution to mean that while inspections are required, "interception" is not.

Monday 16 October 2006 Security Council Backs Sanctions on North KoreaThe resolution approved on Saturday at the U.N. clears the way for the toughest international action against North Korea since the end of the Korean War.

Friday 13 October 2006 China and the United States continue to disagree over whether to impose sanctions against North Korea for its nuclear test. A senior Chinese diplomat, Tang Jiaxian, met with President George W. Bush and top members of his security team on Thursday in Washington. China condemned North Korea's nuclear test as a brazen breach of trust. However, Mr. Tang said that China opposes sanctions as a way to curb North Korea's nuclear programme. China still hopes for renewed six-party talks aimed at dismantling the program. Japan and the U.S. want tough sanctions imposed against North Korea.

Thursday 12 October 2006 rci Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper says there is no reason to believe that North Korea could reach Canada with nuclear weapons, adding that the situation would be different if North Korea eventually acquired the ability to strike North America. The prime minister says there must be a world response to North Korea's flouting of international opinion and interests and that Canada will go along with any sanctions. Mr. Harper says there are three reasons to be concerned about the announced nuclear arms test on Monday, namely the presumed fact that it tested an actual weapon as well as delivery systems and that North Korea is suspected of willingness to export and sell such weapons.

Tuesday 10 October 2006 How far is he willing to go?
The United States is leading a tide of global condemnation of North Korea's apparent test of a nuclear weapon, a move that has shaken the world and raised fears of an Asian arms race, Tim Harper writes.

Wed1284 ...the sounds of drums in the wilderness have aroused our interest - if not dread - and it is likely that we will navigate the rough waters of the Yellow Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to seek the truth about North Korea's nuclear capability and world reaction

maisonneuve.org/ NORTH KOREA JOINS THE ARMAGEDDON CLUB
by Simon Tudiver
October 10, 2006

If only it was possible to shake off decades of politico-military conflict and jargon, an arms race might sound more like a game for an afternoon picnic than an ominous stockpiling of destructive weaponry. But deciding how to deal with North Korea’s apparent nuclear test over the weekend will be no picnic. The secretive and increasingly defiant state is also unpredictable, and seems more interested in provoking its enemies than giving in to their demands. Much space in today’s Big Seven is devoted to assessing the options and implications of dealing with the so-called rogue state. None of the options are very appealing, and none of the implications very clear. The Globe fronts a piece about the possibilities contained within the “carrot-and-stick toolkit of modern diplomacy.” The carrot method—an incentive-based approach centred on diplomatic talks—has clearly failed. The stick, however, seems equally destined for defeat, if it doesn’t stir things into a dangerous mixture first. Sanctions could push North Korea to do something even more rash, like selling off its nuclear secrets (an option the Globe’s Doug Saunders explores with reference to al-Qaeda), while military action could elicit a devastating response in the region. Perhaps the most plausible outcome politically is an old-fashioned arms race, with Japan a popular candidate for joining the game given its rocky relationship with North Korea and a new hawkish leader.

But for all the analysis of global political strategies, there is little examination of the North Korean perspective in the current conflict. Wenran Jiang is one of the few, writing in the Globe that the US’s heavy-handed approach to diplomacy has led to “another foreign policy blunder.” Jiang, who heads the China Institute at the University of Alberta, explains how Bush cut programs that had been helping suspend Pyongyang’s nuclear program. He is also critical of the Bush administration’s incendiary name-calling (“rogue state,” “axis of evil”) and hard-line approach to diplomatic talks. Jiang even joins those suggesting the war in Iraq may in fact have spurned North Korean leader Kim Jong-il to action, hoping that a nuclear arsenal would make him less vulnerable to attack than Saddam was. That American pressure may have contributed to the current mess is not surprising; for many, the US is seen more as an aggressor than a defender. For them, the issue becomes one of a double standard—that not all nuclear powers are created equal. The key threat of this crisis could very well have nothing to do with violence or even nuclear proliferation, but rather that an uninvited guest has just strolled onto the grounds of posh and exclusive club.
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THE LEADS:
THE NATIONAL: “Nuclear Power: North Korea says it has tested a nuke, and that’s testing the international community” (not available online)
CTV NEWS: “Nuclear Reaction: The blast heard around the world; North Korea’s action of nuclear defiance”
GLOBE AND MAIL: “World condemns N. Korea”
TORONTO STAR: “What does this man want?”
NATIONAL POST: “Protests grow over nuclear bomb test”
LA PRESSE: “Bush demands sanctions against Pyongyang”
OTTAWA CITIZEN: “‘A provocative act’” (not available online)

THE STRAIGHT GOODS:
North Korea says it conducted a nuclear test; the world braces for fallout. South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon is slated to become the next secretary general of the United Nations. The Canadian Council for Donation and Transplantation wants to change the rules governing organ harvesting.
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BOMBS AWAY
The Big Seven lead today with North Korea’s claim that it tested a nuclear weapon over the weekend. While much of the attention is focused on the international community’s efforts to craft an appropriate response, the Citizen, the Star and the Globe go inside with reports on the attempts to verify North Korea’s claim. The Citizen runs an Associated Press article explaining the complex and time-consuming task of verification, which is done by analyzing data collected by seismic monitors in the regions surrounding the blast. The Earth’s constant seismic activity makes picking out a specific event difficult, as does the fact that different countries use different methods for interpreting the data. The Star runs a New York Times article that focuses on reports the blast was actually quite small, and might represent “a failure or a partial success” for the North Koreans. While most countries conducting first-time nuclear tests have managed to produce blasts equivalent of between ten and sixty kilotons of regular explosives, there are some indications that yesterday’s test was only about one kiloton.

Beyond the question of size is the question of technical sophistication. How close is North Korea to building a full-fledged nuclear warhead? Opinion seems somewhat divided on this issue. The Star prints an Associated Press article that weighs both sides. On the one hand, a series of unspectacular ballistic experiments (including a long-range missile that exploded shortly after takeoff) suggest Pyongyang’s weapons-making skills are not as proficient as some of its neighbours. Add to that the complexity of compacting nuclear technology into a rocket and North Korea seems a long way off. On the other hand, no one really knows very much about the status of North Korea’s weapons technology because the Asian country has been so reclusive for so long. The AP article also suggests the North Koreans may have received information about designing nuclear weapons from Pakistan in the 1990s. As long as the North Korean regime retains its isolationist stance, the technological and political speculation seem destined to continue, as will worldwide concern that handling the issue carelessly could lead to disastrous consequences.

LEADING THE NATIONS, UNITED
The Post, the Citizen and the Star go inside with reports on the nomination of South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon to become the next secretary general of the United Nations. The “quiet diplomat,” as the Star calls him, received unanimous support from the fifteen-member Security Council, and now must have his nomination ratified by the UN’s General Assembly before taking over the high-powered position. The Post and the Citizen note that Ban’s “low-key style is expected to contrast with that of [outgoing Secretary-General Kofi] Annan,” who has traveled and spoken extensively, helping raise the organization’s profile. All the articles suggest that the coincidence of the nomination coming on the same day as North Korea’s nuclear test may be no coincidence at all—that North Korea may have been trying to steal some of Ban’s spotlight. But some diplomats see the two developments as complementary rather than competing: Japan’s UN ambassador emphasized the importance of having a South Korean in such an important position for the resolution of the escalating conflict.

Monday 09 October 2006 nyt N. Korea Reports 1st Nuclear Arms Test By DAVID E. SANGER
North Korea became the eighth country in history, and arguably the most unstable and most dangerous, to join the club of nuclear weapons states.

North's Test Seen as Failure for Korea Policy China Followed By JOSEPH KAHN
China denounced North Korea's reported nuclear test and demanded it stop any actions that might make the situation worse.

Saturday 07 October 2006 rci Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says the international community must come together to pressure North Korea over its nuclear program. Mr. Abe took over last week from Junichiro Koizumi and plans to travel soon to China and South Korea. The North has announced that it plans to conduct its first nuclear test and blamed the U.S. threat of nuclear war and sanctions for forcing its hand. The announcement by the North ended weeks of speculation about its intentions and comes amid increasingly bitter relations with the international community following its missile tests in July. The UN Security Council imposed limited sanctions as a result of the tests. Meanwhile, the North is being urged to return to international talks on its nuclear ambitions, which it has boycotted since November.

Wednesday 04 October 2006 North Koreans Say They Plan a Nuclear Test
By DAVID E. SANGER The announcement prompted warnings from Tokyo to Washington that a test would lead to a sharp response.

Friday 29 September 2006 North Korea has blamed U.S. financial sanctions for deadlock in multilateral talks on its nuclear program. UN envoy Choe Su-Hon says North Korea is willing to hold talks, but the U.S. stance had created an impasse. He told delegates at the General Assembly that international talks on Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions are an impossibility while the sanctions remain in place. Last year North Korea and the U.S., China, Russia, Japan and South Korea agreed to a deal under which the North would receive economic aid in return for scrapping its nuclear ambitions. The deal fell apart after the U.S. imposed financial sanctions on Pyongyang, accusing it of involvement in counterfeiting and money-laundering.

Saturday 02 September 2006 Mr. Bush's Nuclear Legacy
By the end of the president's second term North Korea will have produced enough plutonium for 10 or more nuclear weapons while Iran's scientists will be close to mastering the skills needed to build their own.

Monday 28 August 2006 North Korea is threatening "all possible countermeasures" against the US, blaming Washington's financial restrictions for blocking nuclear talks. The North's Foreign Ministry says it is "foolish" to think the issue can be solved through sanctions and pressure. North Korea also said it will pursue all possible measures to protect its "sovereignty and dignity," but did not say what those measures include. The statement comes amid growing concerns that the North may be preparing for a nuclear test. North Korea has said it has nuclear weapons, but is not known to have conducted any tests to prove its claims. The nuclear talks have been deadlocked since November. Pyongyang has refused to return to the table until a Macau bank where it held accounts is removed from a US blacklist. That would free the regime's money now frozen by the bank.

Thu 27/07/2006 N. Korea says it will bolster its nuclear weapons program
North Korea's defence minister said his country will strengthen its nuclear weapons program in response to UN sanctions and American hostility, the North's official news agency reported Wednesday. photo

Thu 06/07/2006 WASHINGTON: HARPER, BUSH AGREE ON KOREAN THREAT
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper says North Korea's missile tests and nuclear program are justifiably a subject of concern to Canadians. The prime minister says that missiles fired from there in the direction of the U.S. also threaten Canada's security. Mr. Harper made the remarks in Washington at a joint news conference with U.S. President George W. Bush after they had a 40-minute meeting. The prime minister says that although Canada is not now prepared to reopen the debate about whether it should be a partner in the U.S. anti-missile defence shield project, the events of this week show why the U.S. is interested in the project and that Canada understands that interest. The previous Liberal Party Canadian government decided against participation after broad public opposition. On another matter, Mr. Harper says both countries share the same concerns about national security. Mr. Harper cited as proof the recent arrests of suspected terrorists who are accused of planning attacks in southern Ontario. Seventeen suspects were arrested in the Toronto area last month in an alleged bombing plot. However, the Canadian prime minister suggested that if the common fight against terrorism makes the U.S. more closed to its friends, the terrorists will have won. For his part, the president noted that the arrests show how safe Canada is and thanked Canada for the country's military deployment in Afghanistan.

rci China says it won't now agree to sanctions against North Korea being decreed by the UN Security Council. Russia has adopted the same attitude, both China and Russia being permanent members which have a veto over resolutions. China's foreign ministry says that although Wednesday's test-firings are of concern, the best solution is diplomacy through a resumption of the six-nation talks about North Korea's nuclear program. The ministry also say China is doing its best to resolve the crisis. China is the host of the talks, which have been suspended by Pyongyang since last November. The U.S. government has pressed China to do more to exercise pressure on its ally and aid beneficiary. The ministry said last week that deputy prime minister Hui Liangyu would lead a delegation on a six-day visit to North Korea starting on July 10. On Thursday, the ministry said that Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei also will attend.

Friday 21 July 2006 China's leading general says that China lacks the influence to force North Korea to return to international nuclear talks. Guo Boxiong was speaking in Washington at the National Defense University. He was reacting to calls by the United States for China to exert pressure on North Korea. Gen. Guo said that China was doing all that it could so that nuclear talks could resume, but he said China cannot force North Korea to do anything. Gen. Guo is in the United States to boost bilateral military co-operation.

Sunday Jun 25, 2006 North Korean Diplomatic Strategy Mirrors Iran's North Korea's threat to launch a ballistic missile echoes Iran's strategy of resuming production of nuclear fuel.

Monday Jun 19, 2006 nyt North Koreans Are Reported Closer to a Missile Test A long-range ballistic missile launch would be the North's first important missile test in eight years, and could unsettle the Pacific Rim.

Thursday Mar 23, 2006 rci A new report says North Korea has hundreds of short- and intermediate-range missiles which pose a risk to neighbouring South Korea and Japan. The California-based Center for Nonproliferation Studies says the North does not yet possess missiles which could hit the continental United States. The study states that missile exports are a major source of foreign currency for Pyongyang and that its longest-running and most loyal customer is the Islamic Republic of Iran. There's been growing international concern following the launch by North Korea this month of two, and possibly three, short-range missiles. Experts say the missiles represent a quantum leap forward from previous weapons because of their reliability and precision. The new models use solid fuel rather than liquid, making it easier to transport and deploy them, as well as increasing their accuracy.

Wednesday Mar 22, 2006 North Korea Touts First-Strike Capability ability to launch a pre-emptive attack on the United States, according to the North's official news agency. A Foreign Ministry spokesman said the North had built atomic weapons to counter the U.S. nuclear threat.

Sunday Mar 12, 2006 nyt U.S. Squeezes North Korea's Money Flow Blacklisting a bank accused of laundering money for North Korea has proved more effective than anticipated, U.S. officials said.

Monday Jan 16, 2006 rci Hundreds of police officers took up posts around a hotel in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou Friday, increasing speculation that North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-il, is visiting the country. For the past week, there's been widespread speculation that Mr. Kim was in Beijing or Shanghai. His past visits to China were publicly announced only after his departure. A Japanese news agency, Kyodo, Friday quoted an unidentified employee at the White Swan hotel in Guangzhou who said that Mr. Kim was a guest there. But Russia's Itar-Tass news agency reported that the guest is probably a high-ranking North Korean official and Mr. Kim is still in Pyongyang. A top US diplomat is also in China to discuss a resumption of the six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program. The last round of talks was in November.

2005

Time Inc. WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2005

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Nov 16, 2005

Nov 16, 2005 Dogged Pursuit
First sheep, now a dog—what next? How a lab in South Korea perfected a cloning technique that is likely to transform medical research around the world

Saturday Nov 26, 2005 nyt Korean Leaves Cloning Center in Ethics Furor
By JAMES BROOKE
The South Korean stem cell researcher apologized for lying about the sources of some human eggs used in his research.

Sunday Nov 13, 2005 rci The fifth round of talks in Beijing concerning North Korea's nuclear arms program has ended after three days. The talks concluded with the same lack of results as the preceeding ones. On the last day, North Korea said it wouldn't dismantle its program unless the U.S. lifted sanctions on eight North Korean concerns which it claims are involved in proliferation of arms of mass destruction. The North Koreans say the sanctions imposed last month violate the tentative accord reached in the previous round of negotiations in September at which North Korea promised to dismantle its nuclear weapons program in return for energy aid.

Sunday Sep 25, 2005 ts North Korea's capitalist manifesto
A predictable master of surprise, North Korea stunned the world Monday by agreeing to give up its nuclear weapons program. But to seal the deal by pinning down the difficult details, it's necessary to ask what's really motivating the hermit nation.

Wednesday Sep 21, 2005 rci North Korea has taken a position on Tuesday that seems to undermine the credibility of an accord which it signed on Monday concerning its nuclear program. Under the terms of the accord reached at six-nation talks in Beijing, the North Korean government agreed to end the program. But on Tuesday, the government in Pyongyang said that it wouldn't abandon its nuclear arms until the U.S. provides it with nuclear reactors for civilian use. The U.S. state department has reacted by saying that Monday's agreement contains no such provision. Japan also has rejected the reiteration of an earlier North Korean demand.

Tuesday Sep 20, 2005 ts U.S.-Korean Deal on Arms Leaves Key Points OpenThe pact left unaddressed the date of disarmament and hinted at a concession to discuss providing a civilian nuclear plant.
"They have said, in principle, that they will abandon their weapons programs. And what we have said is great, that's a wonderful step forward, but now we've got to verify whether or not that happens."
PRESIDENT BUSH, on a nuclear agreement with North Korea.

Tuesday Sep 20, 2005 nyt North Korea Says It Will Abandon Nuclear Efforts North Korea agreed to end its nuclear weapons program in return for security, economic and energy benefits, potentially easing tensions with the United States.

Tuesday Sep 20, 2005 ts Curbing Korea's nukes
North Korea's secretive leader Kim Jong Il is a nuclear cheat and an extortionist. The world will only believe his pledge yesterday to scrap nuclear weapons when United Nations inspectors can verify it.

Tuesday Sep 20, 2005 rci Delegates to the international talks on North Korea's nuclear program have extended their discussions into Sunday. But Japan's chief envoy said that the chances for an agreement remain slim. Negotiators met for less than a half hour on Saturday to briefly discuss a Chinese proposal aimed at salvaging the talks. The meeting was apparently cut short because some countries that were not identified needed more time to assess the Chinese proposal. The six-party talks in Beijing involve the United States, South Korea and Russia.

Thursday Sep 15, 2005 nyt North Korea Talks Resume, Still in a Standoff
By JOSEPH KAHN
Talks over how to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program resumed in Beijing on Tuesday.

Wednesday Aug 24, 2005 nyt State Dept. Pushes for Return of North Korea to Negotiations
By STEVEN R. WEISMAN
The Bush administration stepped up its diplomacy on Tuesday to ensure that North Korea returns to talks aimed at dismantling its nuclear programs.

Friday Aug 12, 2005 nyt North Korea Says U.S. Alone Is Holding Up 6-Nation Nuclear Talks
By JOEL BRINKLEY
North Korea said that Washington must drop its insistence that it abandon plans for a nuclear power plant.

Tuesday Aug 9, 2005 nyt U.S. and North Korea Blame Each Other for Stalemate in Talks
By JIM YARDLEY
Nearly two weeks of six-nation negotiations in Beijing deadlocked over the issue of "peaceful use" nuclear programs.

Tuesday Aug 9, 2005 International talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program have recessed for three weeks after failing to reach consensus. The discussions between the two Koreas, China, Russia, Japan and the United States resumed about two weeks ago in Beijing. China's envoy, Wu Dawei, said that delegates will resume talks in late August in a hope of resolving differences. The delegations will first report back to their respective governments. The stalling point has been whether North Korea should dismantle its weapons before it gets aid and security guarantees, as demanded by the United States. North Korea insists that incentives must come first.

Friday Aug 5, 2005 rci US envoy Christopher Hill hinted Wednesday that the latest talks on North Korea's nuclear program could be nearing a conclusion. Mr. Hill spoke in Beijing on the ninth-day of marathon talks which also involve South Korea, Japan, China, Russia and the United States. Mr. Hill indicated that China had put forward another draft of a proposed joint statement that would enable the talks to end. He called the latest proposal very important and said it was aimed at narrowing differences between the US and North Korea. The sticking point has been whether North Korea should dismantle its weapons before it gets aid and security guarantees, as demanded by the United States. The North insists the incentives must come first.

Thursday Aug 4, 2005 rci China on Saturday proposed a draft statement in the talks aimed at convincing North Korea to abandon its nuclear program. It is a possible sign of progress in the six-nation talks in Beijing, but the chief US envoy says an agreement this weekend is unlikely. Work on the statement of "agreed principles" came as talks stretched into an unprecedented fifth days and North Korean diplomats held four sets of one-on-one meetings last week. Diplomats in Beijing did not give any details of the draft. A Japanese newspaper cited anonymous sources saying the six sides had "roughly agreed" to issue a draft that does not detail how the North would abandon its nuclear program or what it would get in return. But the draft would mention a safety guarantee and economic assistance for North Korea and a promise of normalized relations with the United States. Meanwhile, Iran on Saturday rejec