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N. Korea shifts toward engagement with world
Kim Jong Il agreed to disable 'all' nuclear facilities by Dec. 31 and met South's President Roh this week.
By Howard LaFranchi – Staff writer and Donald Kirk – Correspondentfrom the October 5, 2007 edition
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WASHINGTON; and PAJU, SOUTH KOREA - An agreement reached this week with North Korea for it to dismantle "all" of its nuclear facilities by the end of the year further cements Pyongyang's commitment to a path of denuclearization – but is not the end of the story.
Expect more advances and setbacks in the months ahead as the North is pressed for a full disclosure of its nuclear inventory – including its nuclear weapons arsenal and a suspected uranium enrichment operation, experts say.
It is still early to say if the week's events indicate that the North, which has been duplicitous about international agreements in the past, is serious this time. Self-preservation remains the paramount concern of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il. The question now is whether the agreement reached between the United States and the North on Wednesday, as well as the reconciliation summit of the leaders of North and South Korea, mean that the secretive and impoverished regime has truly chosen a path of opening and closer engagement with the world.
Given that just a year ago, the North conducted a nuclear explosion that set off global alarm, this week's agreement – committing Pyongyang to nuclear dismantlement by the end of the year in exchange for tons of fuel oil and other economic aid – is a notable achievement, some experts say.
"This is good news, period, but it is not the end of the road to the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," says Daryl Kimball, executive director of the Arms Control Association in Washington. "When you think that a year ago North Korea conducted a nuclear explosion, this is a 180-degree turnaround.
"But only time will tell," he adds, "if this is the real deal in terms of denuclearizing the North."
In addition to unanswered questions about the North's nuclear arsenal and any uranium enrichment program, experts say Pyongyang's quest for removal from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism could cause problems.
Wednesday's agreement, reached in Beijing, is the second major step in the six-party talks that resulted in a framework agreement in February. Under that agreement, the accord signed this week was to have been reached sooner – but a bitter battle over North Korean funds held in a Macau bank held things up.
For some observers, the evolution for the North Korean regime since last year is matched by an equally noteworthy turnaround for the Bush administration. The Wednesday agreement – involving substantial US financial commitment – follows the outlines of a deal the Clinton administration struck with Pyongyang, and one President Bush dismissed as the wrong path as recently as the 2004 presidential campaign .
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