[SeMissourian.com]
North Korea and the 'Axis of Evil'

U.S. officials say they are skeptical North Korea will fulfill nuclear pledge (01/03/08)
WASHINGTON -- U.S. officials expressed skepticism Wednesday that North Korea would fulfill a pledge to provide a complete list of its nuclear programs as American diplomats prepared to visit Asia for talks. North Korea failed to meet a year-end deadline on the nuclear declaration under an aid-for-disarmament deal, and White House press secretary Dana Perino said "it is only appropriate that we would be skeptical. ...
N. Korea to disable nuclear facilities by year's end (10/04/07)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea pledged Wednesday to detail its nuclear programs and disable all activities at its main reactor complex by the end of the year, its firmest commitment to disarm after decades seeking to develop the world's deadliest weapons...
N. Korean diplomat confirms shutdown of nuclear reactor (07/15/07)
SEOUL, South Korea -- A North Korean diplomat confirmed the country had shut down its sole operating nuclear reactor after receiving an initial shipment of oil aid, and said U.N. nuclear inspectors would start work on Sunday to verify it. "Immediately after the arrival of the first heavy fuel oil, the facilities were shut down and the [International Atomic Energy Agency] personnel will verify that maybe by now, or from today in Korea," said Kim Myong Gil, minister at the North's mission to the United Nations in New York.. ...
U.S. general: North Korean missile tests a threat to South (07/02/07)
SEOUL, South Korea -- The top U.S. military commander in South Korea said today that last week's North Korean missile tests were provocative and a threat to Seoul. Gen. B.B. Bell said that although he welcomed moves by Pyongyang to live up to its commitment to dismantle its nuclear program, the communist country still retains the capability to attack Seoul with conventional artillery and special forces...
North Korea invites nuclear inspectors (06/17/07)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea on Saturday sent a letter to the U.N. nuclear watchdog, inviting inspectors to the country to discuss procedures for shutting down its main nuclear reactor, state media reported. The letter to the International Atomic Energy Agency noted "that a working-level delegation of the IAEA has been invited to visit [North Korea] as it is confirmed that the process of de-freezing the funds of [North Korea] at the Banco Delta Asia in Macau has reached its final phase," the North's Korean Central News Agency reported.. ...
South Korea to give 400,000 tons of rice to North despite nuclear impasse (04/22/07)
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea said today it would give 400,000 tons of rice to impoverished North Korea despite the communist government's failure to meet a deadline to shut down its nuclear reactor. South Korea will ship the first batch of rice aid in late May under an agreement reached in marathon negotiations overnight in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang...
S. Korean envoy: N. Korea preparing to shut down main nuclear facility (03/18/07)
BEIJING -- North Korea told delegates at nuclear talks on Saturday that it is preparing to shut down its main reactor, South Korea's chief nuclear envoy said, a key step promised in a landmark disarmament pact. The apparent progress in implementing last month's agreement came only hours after North Korea's lead nuclear envoy said his government would not close its main nuclear facility until all $25 million of its money frozen in a Macau bank is released...
New sense of optimism surrounds North Korea nuclear talks (02/08/07)
BEIJING -- International talks on North Korea's nuclear program convene today with a new sense of optimism about the possibility of the first tangible progress on the communist nation's disarmament since negotiations began more than three years ago...
Expert: North Korea willing to make deal (02/07/07)
WASHINGTON -- North Korea is proposing to shutter its main nuclear reactor and allow U.N. monitoring in return for massive energy shipments and normal relations with the United States, according to an American nuclear expert who visited Pyongyang last week. ...
Nuclear talks with North Korea reconvene after 13-month boycott (12/18/06)
BEIJING -- For the first time since it exploded a nuclear bomb, North Korea returns to international disarmament talks. The United States says the choice is simple -- negotiate or face sanctions. The six-nation talks, which reopen today in the Chinese capital, have been plagued by delays and discord since they began in August 2003...
Bush consults partners on N. Korea strategy (11/19/06)
HANOI, Vietnam -- Lobbying world leaders, President Bush sought China's support today for pressuring long-defiant North Korea to prove it is serious about dismantling its nuclear weapons program. "China is a very important nation and the United States believes strongly that by working together we can help solve problems such as North Korea and Iran," Bush said as he sat down for talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao. Like North Korea, Iran also is suspected of pursuing nuclear weapons...
N. Korea to rejoin nuclear disarmament talks (11/01/06)
By CHARLES HUTZLER The Associated Press BEIJING -- The U.S. and Chinese governments announced Tuesday that North Korea agreed to rejoin six-nation nuclear disarmament talks, a surprise diplomatic breakthrough that comes only three weeks after the communist regime conducted its first known atomic test...
Reports- S. Korea closely watching North for another nuclear test (10/29/06)
The Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean and U.S. officials are trying to confirm whether recent movements at North Korea's suspected nuclear testing site indicate the communist regime is planning another test explosion, news reports said Saturday...
Agreement on N. Korea could signal U.S., China cooperation (10/23/06)
BEIJING -- China's tough-love attitude toward ally North Korea after its nuclear test may bode well for the United States, which is after Beijing's cooperation on Iran, Sudan and economic issues. Yet the Bush administration's palpable surprise at China's willingness to rebuke North Korea may reveal how easily Washington can misunderstand China and its motivations...
N. Korean leader says no more nuclear tests are planned (10/21/06)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korean leader Kim Jong Il said Pyongyang didn't plan to carry out any more nuclear tests and expressed regret about the country's first-ever atomic detonation last week, South Korean media reported Friday. North Korea, however, kept up its bellicose rhetoric as more than 100,000 people gathered Friday in Pyongyang's central Kim Il Sung square to "hail the success of the historic nuclear test," according to the North's official media...
China joins U.N. sanctions effort, inspects trade from North Korea (10/17/06)
DANDONG, China -- Customs officials examined trucks at the North Korean border Monday as China complied with new U.N. sanctions on Pyongyang for its nuclear test. But China's U.N. ambassador indicated its inspectors will not board ships to search for suspicious equipment or material...
U.S.: U.N. sanctions against N. Korea can be lesson to Iran (10/16/06)
WASHINGTON -- The United States on Sunday used new U.N. sanctions against North Korea to warn Iran, another country with nuclear ambitions. John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, said Iran should pay attention to Saturday's U.N. resolution against North Korea for its claimed nuclear test last week...
Air sampling off Korea prolongs mystery over Monday's nuclear test (10/14/06)
Surveillance aircraft sweeping Asian skies for a hint of krypton or a sign of strontium have deepened the mystery over North Korea's claimed nuclear explosion. Was the blast that rocked global politics an atomic fizzle, a mini-test, or simply the thunder from hundreds of tons of TNT?...
Bush defends stance on North Korea despite nuclear test (10/12/06)
WASHINGTON -- President Bush unapologetically defended his approach to North Korea's nuclear weapons program Wednesday, pledging he would not change course despite contentions that Pyongyang's apparent atomic test proved the failure of his nearly six years of effort...
China: N. Korea must face 'punitive actions' for reported nuclear test (10/11/06)
UNITED NATIONS -- First, China agreed that North Korea must be punished over its nuclear test, though not as swiftly and severely as President Bush wants. Then there were suggestions that the test wasn't all it was meant to be, anyway. A day after setting the world on edge, the North Korean nuclear crisis settled into diplomatic debate Tuesday. ...
U.N. Security Council considers sanctions against N. Korea (10/10/06)
UNITED NATIONS -- The world lined up against North Korea Monday for staging a nuclear test denounced even by key allies. President Bush called it "a threat to international peace and security," and the U.N. Security Council weighed severe sanctions to punish the impoverished communist nation...
N. Korea says it conducted nuclear weapons test (10/09/06)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea said today it has performed its first-ever nuclear weapons test and the blast had been successfully set off underground with no radioactive leakage from the site. An official at South Korea's seismic monitoring center confirmed a magnitude-3.6 tremor felt at the time North Korea said it conducted the test was not a natural occurrence. ...
North Korean official says country needs food after floods (08/05/06)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea urgently needs food after devastating floods and is willing to accept aid from the South Korean government, a North Korean official said Friday. North Korea earlier this week refused to accept flood relief from the South's Red Cross society, apparently in anger over Seoul's decision to suspend food aid because of the North's missile launches last month. The North's about-face underscored the seriousness of the floods, which began in mid-July...
Bush: Diplomacy 'painful' to watch (07/08/06)
CHICAGO -- President Bush expressed frustration Friday with the slow pace of diplomacy in dealing with North Korea and Iran and prodded world leaders to send an unmistakable message condemning Pyongyang's long-range missile test. He said the United States would have had "a reasonable chance" of shooting down the missile if it had been necessary, though America's missile-defense system is still in the testing phase and its capabilities are modest. ...
N. Korea threatens more test launches (07/07/06)
WASHINGTON -- President Bush pushed for stern international action against North Korea on Thursday but ran into resistance from China and Russia. The North Koreans threatened to fire off more test rockets. Bush, engaged in diplomacy from Washington to Moscow to Asia, said the United States and its allies needed to speak with one voice in pressing Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear weapons and return to multinational negotiations...
U.N. wrangles over sanctions (07/06/06)
UNITED NATIONS -- China and Russia resisted an attempt in the U.N. Security Council to impose sanctions against North Korea for its missile launches Wednesday, saying only diplomacy could halt the isolated regime's nuclear and rocket development programs...
N. Korea test fires missiles (07/05/06)
TOKYO -- A defiant North Korea test-fired a long-range missile Wednesday that may be capable of reaching America, but it failed seconds after launch, U.S. officials said. The North also tested four shorter range missiles in an exercise the White House called "a provocation" but not an immediate threat...
Report: United States to deploy PAC-3 missiles in southern Japan by year's end (06/26/06)
TOKYO -- The United States plans to deploy Patriot Advanced Capability 3 missiles in southern Japan by the end of the year, a local newspaper reported late Sunday. The PAC-3 is designed to intercept and destroy incoming missiles and aircraft. The report comes as the United States and Japan are deeply concerned about signs North Korea may be preparing for an imminent test-launch of a Taepodong-2 ballistic missile...
Attempt to shoot down N. Korean missile would be risky move (06/25/06)
TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Many Asian nations would cheer if the Americans shot down a long-range missile tested by North Korea, but a failure would raise unsettling questions for allies that rely on the U.S. military umbrella. The response to North Korea is being watched by U.S. allies as a barometer of how committed Washington is to protecting them. Some already worry the drawn-out conflict in Iraq may make the United States wary of getting involved in other foreign conflicts...
N. Korea gives no hint on rocket, diplomat says (06/25/06)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea gave no hint of whether it will fire a long-range missile as widely feared, a New Zealand diplomat who visited Pyongyang said Saturday. A top U.S. defense official expressed confidence the United States could intercept a missile from the North...
N. Korea says it's not bound by missile-test moratorium (06/21/06)
TOKYO -- North Korea declared Tuesday it has a right to carry out long-range missile tests, despite international calls for the communist state to refrain from launching a rocket believed capable of reaching the United States. The bristling statement from North Korea to Japanese reporters in Pyongyang came as France and the U.N. secretary-general raised the alarm over what are believed to be the reclusive nation's preparations for a test of the Taepodong-2, with a range of up to 9,300 miles...
Rice warns North Korea on missile test (06/20/06)
WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice warned North Korea on Monday it will face consequences if it test-fires a missile thought to be powerful enough to reach the West Coast of the United States. "It would be a very serious matter and, indeed, a provocative act should North Korea decide to launch that missile," Rice said amid indications that the North Koreans could launch an intercontinental ballistic missile at any moment...
Apparent N. Korean moves toward missile test prompt U.S., Japan warnings (06/19/06)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea appeared close Sunday to test-firing a long-range missile capable of reaching Alaska inthe United States, prompting the White House to warn of an appropriate response and Japan to threaten a "fierce" protest to the United Nations...
North Korea rattles region after it test-fires short-range missiles (03/09/06)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea test-fired two short-range missiles Wednesday, an unsettling reminder of the reclusive communist regime's ability to cause instability in the region where a standoff persists over its nuclear program. The development underscored the dangers posed by the country's longer-range missiles and professed nuclear weapons program...
North Korea urges United States to lift financial sanctions (03/01/06)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea urged the United States to lift financial sanctions over counterfeiting allegations, saying the move would show whether Washington is willing to drop its hostile policy toward the communist country, the North's official news agency reported Tuesday...
U.S. partners agree to end North Korean light-water reactor project (11/24/05)
NEW YORK -- The United States and its partners in an energy consortium have terminated a project to build two light-water atomic reactors for North Korea as an incentive to convince Pyongyang to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, officials said...
Bush seeks united front for N. Korea disarmament (11/17/05)
BUSAN, South Korea -- Counseling resolve and patience, President Bush sought a show of unity today with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun on demands that North Korea abandon its nuclear weapons program. Among those gathering here for a 21-nation summit were the leaders of the five countries -- the United States, China, South Korea, Russia and Japan -- negotiating with North Korea for its nuclear disarmament...
N. Korea pledges to drop nuclear programs in exchange for energy aid (09/20/05)
BEIJING -- North Korea agreed Monday to dismantle nuclear weapons and its atomic facilities in exchange for energy aid, economic cooperation and security assurances, a breakthrough that marked a first step toward disarmament after two years of six-nation talks...
North Korea nuclear talks reach do-or-die point (09/19/05)
BEIJING -- International talks seeking to convince North Korea to abandon its nuclear weapons program were in their "endgame" today, the top U.S. negotiator said, before delegates met to consider a Chinese proposal for resolving the standoff. U.S. assistant secretary of state Christopher Hill said the talks would wrap up in a matter of hours...
U.S., North Korea call on each other to give ground; nuclear talks suspended (08/08/05)
BEIJING -- The United States and North Korea urged each other Sunday to make concessions as envoys to disarmament talks called a three-week recess, deadlocked over what the American envoy said was the North's demand for a nuclear power plant. The adjournment came after 13 days of talks failed to produce a statement of principles to guide renewed negotiations aimed at persuading North Korea to renounce nuclear weapons. The delegations said the six-nation talks would resume the week of Aug. 29...
N. Korea nuclear talks may end soon (08/03/05)
BEIJING -- Breaking its public silence on nuclear disarmament talks, North Korea said Tuesday it wants to narrow differences with the United States but still insisted it won't give up its atomic weapons program until Washington withdraws alleged threats...
North Korean nuclear weapons talks hit snag (08/01/05)
BEIJING -- North Korea's demands for what it should receive in exchange for abandoning its nuclear weapons program snarled talks Sunday, but the U.S. envoy maintained that "things are moving," with more negotiations planned Monday. The negotiations ended their sixth day without an agreement on a Chinese-drafted proposal, and South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Song Min-soon said talks Sunday focused on "what corresponding measures other parties will take" in return for an agreement by the North to dismantle its nuclear weapons program.. ...
North Korea wants U.S. to remove nuclear threat (07/28/05)
BEIJING -- North Korea took a tough stand Wednesday during talks with the United States, reportedly insisting Washington normalize relations and remove all atomic threats before it would give up nuclear weapons. For its part, the United States stood by an aid-for-disarmament offer the North rejects as unfair...
Talks on N. Korean disarmament to resume (07/10/05)
BEIJING -- North Korea said Saturday it will abandon its yearlong boycott of nuclear disarmament talks and resume negotiations this month with the U.S. and four other nations, a breakthrough reached just as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began a mission to end the impasse...
N. Korea angry over U.S. calling country as 'outpost of tyranny' (07/02/05)
NEW YORK -- North Korea told the United States that it must withdraw its description of the communist nation as an "outpost of tyranny" and treat Pyongyang as a friend if it wants nuclear talks to resume, a senior North Korean official said Friday...
North Koreans need to commit to discussing 'dismantling' nuclear program (06/17/05)
WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Thursday it isn't enough for North Korea to return to six-nation disarmament talks but that it should commit to discuss dismantling its nuclear program. "The ball is in the North Koreans' court," Rice said as she prepared to embark on a weeklong trip to the Middle East and Europe...
For divided Korean kin, nuclear tensions dampen hopes of reunion (06/12/05)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Han Ham-youn vividly remembers the day in December 1950 when his family broke apart. China had entered the Korean War, and as its forces stormed south, refugees were boarding ships at the Heungnam port in North Korea. There wasn't much room, and priority was being given to soldiers and war supplies. Han, being fit, single and 17 years old, was placed on a boat and headed to a new life in South Korea, leaving his parents behind...
U.S., South Korea urge North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons program (06/11/05)
WASHINGTON -- President Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun pressed North Korea to rejoin deadlocked talks on its nuclear weapons program on Friday and tried to minimize their own differences over how hard to push the reclusive communist regime...
North Korea continues tough talk, doesn't rule out pre-emptive attack (05/25/05)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea on Tuesday refused to rule out a pre-emptive attack, even amid signs it may be willing to return to the nuclear bargaining table. The North poured out anti-American rhetoric -- a tactic it has used in the past before entering negotiations -- by claiming that Washington's "hostile policies" led it to develop nuclear weapons as a deterrent and warning against any attack to dislodge its leadership...
North Korea says it is confused by U.S. position (05/23/05)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea said Sunday it was confused by U.S. policy toward the reclusive communist state, but it did not rule out returning to six-nation negotiations over its nuclear weapons program. In the statement, a Foreign Ministry spokesman confirmed a May 13 meeting between State Department representatives and North Korean officials at the United Nations and said conflicting remarks by U.S. ...
Koreas resume talks after 10-month hiatus with nuclear dispute (05/17/05)
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea on Monday promised a major new proposal if North Korea returns to six-nation disarmament negotiations as the rivals began two days of their first face-to-face talks in 10 months amid heightened tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions...
Iran, N. Korea top issues in nuke meeting (05/02/05)
UNITED NATIONS -- In a world of growing nuclear fears and mistrust, U.S. negotiators come to New York today to urge a global nonproliferation conference to take action on Iran and North Korea. But the Americans and other nuclear powers will face demands themselves. Non-nuclear states last week complained the big powers were moving too slowly toward nuclear disarmament, described as "not an option, but a legal obligation" under the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty...
South Korea downplays test of missile by communist foes (05/02/05)
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea played down the significance of a North Korean missile test the day before, saying it involved a short-range missile without nuclear capabilities and warning against linking the issue to a dispute over the North's atomic ambitions...
Diplomats- U.S. warns allies N. Korea may test nukes (05/01/05)
VIENNA, Austria -- The United States is warning allies that North Korea may be ready to carry out an underground nuclear test as early as June, diplomats said Saturday. The diplomats told The Associated Press that the information had been apparently gathered in part from satellite imagery. They spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of discussing intelligence information...
Envoys meet in effort to resume North Korea nuclear weapons talks (03/18/05)
SHANGHAI, China -- Envoys from the United States, China, Japan and South Korea discussed Thursday how to restart formal talks on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program, officials said, but there was no indication that a Pyongyang representative attended...
China sending envoy to North Korea to revive nuclear talks (02/18/05)
BEIJING -- China said Thursday it will send a top communist party official to North Korea for talks with its longtime ally in an effort to break a stalemate over the North's nuclear program, but Beijing urged patience in its dealing with the volatile country...
U.S. rejects one-on-one talks with North Korea (02/12/05)
WASHINGTON -- Arguing it was burned before in one-on-one talks with North Korea, the United States said Friday it had no interest in resuming direct discussions on Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program. The White House said it continued to support a six-nation process designed to negotiate the elimination of the communist country's nuclear armaments...
N. Korea boasts of nuclear arms (02/11/05)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea boasted publicly for the first time Thursday that it has nuclear weapons and said it will stay away from disarmament talks, dramatically raising the stakes in the 2-year-old dispute. The Bush administration called on Pyongyang to give up its atomic aspirations so life can be better for its impoverished people...
N. Korea delays resuming nuclear talks with U.S., allies (12/05/04)
SEOUL, South Korea -- The key players in international efforts to curb North Korea's nuclear ambitions are picking up the pace in what has become a protracted ritual of talking about talks and discussing how to entice the North's recalcitrant government back into negotiations...
Bush concerned about Iran's, N. Korea's nuclear ambition (11/21/04)
SANTIAGO, Chile -- Facing nuclear challenges on two fronts, President Bush warned Saturday that Iran's suspected weapons program is "a very serious matter," and he stood united with leaders of Asia and Russia in demanding North Korea's return to stalled disarmament talks...
Powell calls North Korea a 'terrorist state' while in Asia (10/25/04)
TOKYO -- Secretary of State Colin Powell pressed North Korea on Sunday to return to nuclear disarmament talks even as he branded the communist country a "terrorist state" that has "no respect for human rights." Powell's strong comments came after North Korea accused the United States of "evermore hostile acts," including U.S. participation in a multinational naval exercise set to begin today off the Japanese coast...
Colin Powell rejects rewarding N. Korea for resuming talks (10/24/04)
TOKYO -- Secretary of State Colin Powell on Saturday rejected demands by North Korea of a U.S. "reward" before the communist country would agree to resume multinational talks about its nuclear weapons programs. Powell said any proposals from North Korea should be discussed as part of the negotiating process established more than a year ago that involves both Koreas, the United States, China, Japan and Russia...
N. Korea says blast was demolition for hydroelectric project (09/14/04)
SEOUL, South Korea -- An explosion that shot a 2-mile-wide mushroom cloud into the sky was the planned demolition of a mountain for a hydroelectric project, North Korea said Monday, and it invited a British diplomat to visit the site. Experts from the United States and elsewhere say they don't believe Thursday's blast near the Chinese border was a nuclear test...
Mushroom cloud in North Korea not from nuclear blast (09/13/04)
SEOUL, South Korea -- A huge mushroom cloud that reportedly billowed up from North Korea was not caused by a nuclear explosion, South Korean and U.S. officials said Sunday, but they said the cause was a mystery. Secretary of State Colin Powell confirmed that unusual activity had recently been detected at some of North Korea's atomic sites, but said there was no concrete evidence the North's secretive communist regime was preparing for its first nuclear test explosion...
N. Korea threatens 'nuclear arms race' (09/09/04)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea accused the United States of applying a double standard on the Korean Peninsula and warned Wednesday of a nuclear arms race in Northeast Asia following the revelation that South Korean scientists enriched a tiny amount of uranium in 2000...
More North Koreans join biggest mass defection to South Korea (07/29/04)
SEOUL, South Korea -- The second wave in the biggest mass defection of North Koreans to South Korea arrived Wednesday on a flight from an unidentified Southeast Asian country, bringing the total in the two-day airlift to nearly 460. The group of 227 North Koreans arrived at Incheon International Airport on a chartered Korean Air plane arranged by the South Korean government, South Korea's Yonhap news agency said...
Envoys in North Korean nuclear dispute agree to meet again (06/27/04)
BEIJING -- Envoys ended six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program Saturday with a promise to discuss steps toward dismantling it and to meet again by September, but they cautioned that the U.S. and North Korean positions remained far apart...
Stunned S. Korea now sees a threat besides the North (06/24/04)
The Los Angeles Times SEOUL, South Korea -- For South Koreans, the beheading of one of their own by Islamic militants has been a cruel initiation into the post-Sept. 11 world. Until now, this Asian nation watched terrorist attacks from a distance. Although the decapitation of Kim Sun Il, 33, took place in Iraq, the horror was thrust into people's living rooms by television footage of the blindfolded hostage in the moments before his death and the cameras that shadowed his distraught parents as they awaited news of their only son's fate.. ...
U.S. presents proposal to resolve standoff with North Korea (06/24/04)
BEIJING -- U.S. negotiators presented the first detailed American proposal Wednesday on resolving the standoff with North Korea, offering the North energy aid and a security guarantee in exchange for dismantling its nuclear program. The proposal is meant to break an impasse in talks that began their third round after earlier negotiations brought no progress on Washington's demand for the North to scrap its nuclear program...
Shortages possible after N. Korea blast (04/26/04)
DANDONG, China -- Injured children lay on file cabinets as an overcrowded North Korean hospital struggled to cope without enough beds or medicine for hundreds of victims from last week's train explosion, an aid worker who visited the facility said Sunday...
N. Korea appeals for help, says blast killed several hundred (04/24/04)
DANDONG, China -- Issuing a rare appeal for foreign help, North Korea's secretive government said Friday that a devastating train explosion killed several hundred people, and it invited aid workers to come see the disaster site near the Chinese border...
Cheney to Asia - Check N. Korean nuclear program (04/16/04)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Vice President Dick Cheney challenged Asian powers Thursday to do more to contain North Korea's nuclear program, saying that letting it grow unchecked could spark a new arms race in the region and create a weapons bazaar for terrorists...
South Korean voters bring liberal party to power (04/16/04)
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean voters broke the conservatives' four-decade grip on parliament Thursday, bringing to power a liberal party that opposed the president's impeachment and may seek closer ties to North Korea. The election completes a momentous shift in South Korean politics, where conservative-dominated legislatures have checked its few progressive presidents, including President Roh Moo-hyun...
N. Korea increases 'nuclear deterrent' (03/18/04)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea declared it is strengthening its "nuclear deterrent," raising the stakes Wednesday in its standoff with South Korea and the United States. South Korea's interim leader called for a stronger alliance with Washington, dismissing a claim by the North that the South's parliamentary im-peachment of President Roh Moo-hyun last week reflected U.S. interference to "install an ultra-right pro-U.S. regime" in Seoul...
Team says it's too early to know N. Korea's nuclear development (01/13/04)
SEOUL, South Korea -- U.S. Congressional aides who visited North Korea's secretive nuclear plant said they have a lot of information to digest before they can say how far the communist country has come in its nuclear weapons development, a senior South Korean official said Monday...
N. Korea shows U.S. its 'nuclear deterrent' (01/11/04)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea said Saturday that it showed its "nuclear deterrent" to an unofficial U.S. delegation that visited the disputed Yongbyon nuclear complex, which had been closed to outsiders since the North expelled U.N. inspectors over a year ago...
China, Russia plan action on N. Korea nuclear standoff (01/06/04)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Talks on ending the North Korean nuclear crisis hung in limbo Monday: North Korea blamed the impasse on Washington's demand for disarmament, and South Korea and Russia said it was unlikely a new round of six-nation negotiations could open this month...
N. Korea says it will block transfer of equipment from reactor (11/07/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea on Thursday angrily reacted to a U.S.-led move to suspend construction of two nuclear power plants in the impoverished country, saying it will seize all equipment and technical data for the $4.6 billion project. Pyongyang, however, did not revoke its earlier promise to return to six-nation talks aimed at resolving a standoff over its nuclear weapons program -- a scenario some U.S. ...
N. Korea considers U.S. offer of security guarantee (10/26/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Brightening prospects for ending a nuclear stalemate, North Korea said Saturday it will consider President Bush's offer of written security assurances in return for dismantling its nuclear weapons program. It was the latest about-face by North Korea, which had called the offer "laughable" and "not worth considering" and has been unclear about its actions and plans during the yearlong dispute over its atomic ambitions...
N. Korean missile test draws new attention to standoff (10/21/03)
BANGKOK, Thailand -- President Bush on Monday pushed for Asian support on a new overture to peacefully end a North Korean nuclear standoff that has cast a shadow over the region for more than a year. A North Korean missile test added to the tensions...
Bush - N. Korea nuke deal possible (10/20/03)
BANGKOK, Thailand -- President Bush conferred with the leader of South Korea and said "we're making good progress on peacefully solving" a crisis with North Korea by offering Pyongyang written security assurances in exchange for a commitment to scrap its nuclear weapons program...
North Korea abductees mark somber anniversary (10/14/03)
TOKYO -- She stepped off the plane from North Korea shy and reclusive, keeping her comments short and simple in rusty Japanese. "Very good" was all Hitomi Soga could muster about being back in Japan for the first time in nearly a quarter-century. A year later, however, Soga pours out her despair as she marks the homecoming's first anniversary this week with a soul-searching series of forlorn writings about the American husband and two daughters she left behind in Pyongyang...
Powell seeks to break nuclear stalemate with North Korea (10/12/03)
WASHINGTON -- Secretary of State Colin Powell says he hopes to break a stalemate over North Korea's nuclear weapons programs by joining together with that country's neighbors in negotiating a security agreement with the communist-ruled nation. Speaking Friday with a small group of reporters, Powell said North Korean nervousness about a possible U.S. attack is a major obstacle to an agreement to dismantle Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs...
N. Koreans balk at Japanese participation in nuclear talks (10/08/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea dealt a blow Tuesday to prospects for further multilateral talks aimed at curbing its nuclear weapons development, saying it will not allow Japan to participate in any new dialogue because it is untrustworthy. Japan firmly rejected the North Korean position, saying it had a role to play in any talks on the nuclear issue. "We simply cannot accept such a statement," Japanese government spokesman Jiro Okuyama said at a regional summit in Bali...
North Korea claims it's making nuclear bombs using spent fuel (10/03/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea said Thursday it was using plutonium extracted from some 8,000 spent nuclear fuel rods to make atomic bombs, alarming South Korea and other Asian countries that feared the assertion would jeopardize efforts to resolve the nuclear dispute peacefully...
N. Korea insists U.S. concessions preceed talks (10/01/03)
UNITED NATIONS -- A top North Korean official said Tuesday that Pyongyang would not return to talks on the nuclear crisis unless Washington takes "simultaneous action" to meet its demands, saying it makes no sense for the communist country to "put down the guns first." North Korea has repeatedly said it is not interested in further negotiations, but Vice Foreign Minister Choe Su Hon used his address to the U.N. General Assembly to present his government's case in detail...
North Korea denounces Rumsfeld as a 'psychopath' (09/28/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea called U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld a "psychopath" and a "stupid man" on Saturday, denouncing him for predicting that the country's isolated communist regime will one day fall. Speaking before a group of U.S. ...
Ambiguity on North Korean nukes concerns U.S. analysts (09/19/03)
John J. Lumpkin
The Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- Some American intelligence analysts are becoming increasingly concerned that North Korea may have three, four or even six...
N. Korea developing missile capable of targeting U.S. (09/12/03)
WASHINGTON -- Officials in the Bush administration have evidence that North Korea has been using Russian technology to develop a new intercontinental ballistic missile capable of reaching targets in the continental United States, an administration official said Thursday...
North Korea marks 55th anniversary with parade (09/10/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Communist North Korea marked the 55th anniversary of its founding Tuesday with leader Kim Jong Il viewing a parade of soldiers and hundreds of thousands of civilians, but the celebration did not include a feared nuclear test. The 61-year-old Kim raised his hand as column after column of goose-stepping soldiers paraded past the viewing stand...
Allies may give N. Korea some security assurances (09/08/03)
WASHINGTON -- The United States will consult with its allies about what kind of security assurances they can offer North Korea to get the communist country to end its nuclear weapons program, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday. During recent six-nation talks in Beijing, North Korea said it would disarm if the United States would resume free oil shipments, provide economic and humanitarian aid, sign a nonaggression treaty and open diplomatic ties...
Carter urges 'combined commitment' to defuse N. Korea crisis (09/06/03)
TOKYO -- Former President Jimmy Carter said Friday a "combined commitment" by the United States and other nations to guarantee North Korea's security could help defuse the crisis over the communist nation's nuclear weapons program. Carter blamed Washington and the communist state for the unraveling of a landmark U.S.-North Korean agreement that he helped mediate in 1994 but said he believed the current crisis could be resolved diplomatically with concessions on both sides...
N. Korean ferry meets protests in Japan dock (09/05/03)
NIIGATA, Japan -- A North Korean ferry long suspected of smuggling missile parts and illicit funds arrived in a Japanese port amid noisy protests Thursday, but it was cleared by customs and safety inspectors. Dozens of demonstrators watched by riot police chanted slogans denouncing North Korea's communist regime and protesting the North's kidnapping of Japanese as the Mangyongbong-92 slid into its berth in the northern port of Niigata for an overnight stay...
N. Korean lawmakers rubber-stamp Kim Jong Il's re-election (09/04/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament re-elected Kim Jong Il the communist country's leader Wednesday and endorsed Pyongyang's decision to "increase its nuclear deterrent," spurring orchestrated celebrations by dancing housewives and loyal soldiers...
A day after agreements, North Korea reverts to nuclear threat (08/31/03)
BEIJING -- North Korea took less than a day to break the modest agreement it had made with the United States and four other nations at a six-party summit: to hold more talks aimed at ending a 10-month standoff over its nuclear weapons program. Instead, North Korea angrily dismissed the possibility of further negotiations over its nuclear program on Saturday, the morning after the end of landmark six-nation talks where the isolated regime indicated it might be willing to reach a compromise...
U.S., North Korea envoys hold talks at summit (08/28/03)
and Sang-Hun Choe ~ The Associated Press BEIJING -- Trading the cold shoulder for careful conversation, the United States and North Korea made their first direct contact in four months on Wednesday, huddling on the sidelines of a multinational summit to work through a venomous stalemate over Pyongyang's nuclear program...
Six nations' envoys meet with goal of reducing Korean tension (08/27/03)
BEIJING -- Hoping for a breakthrough, diplomats from six nations convened in the Chinese capital today for talks to resolve East Asia's most urgent security concern -- North Korea's nuclear program and demands by the United States that it stand down immediately...
North Korean ship suspected of smuggling leaves Japan (08/27/03)
NIIGATA, Japan -- A suspected North Korean smuggling ship set sail from Japan on Tuesday after being detained for safety violations amid a global crackdown on alleged drugs and weapons trafficking by the communist state. The ferry, suspected of running arms, illicit drugs and money in the past, had been scheduled to leave Niigata in northern Japan with 200 passengers Tuesday morning. But Transportation Ministry officials announced the night before that it wasn't safe to sail...
North Korea's arsenal worries U.S. officials (08/24/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- The United States wants to talk to North Korea not only about nuclear bombs, but the communist nation's entire arsenal: suspected stockpiles of chemical and biological weapons, missiles that can reach all of South Korea and Japan and massive conventional forces massed near the border...
Powell says U.S. not trying to destroy N. Korean government (08/04/03)
WASHINGTON -- The United States is committed to finding a diplomatic answer to the North Korean problem and, despite harsh rhetoric by high U.S. officials, is not trying to end communist leader Kim Jong Il's rule, Secretary of State Colin Powell said...
N. Korea lashes out at U.S., will still join nuclear talks (08/04/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Pyongyang called a senior American official "human scum" for criticizing North Korea's leader, but the reclusive nation said it would still join U.S.-proposed multilateral talks on its suspected development of nuclear weapons...
N. Korea calls U.N. nuke talks bad move (08/03/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea on Saturday warned that any moves to discuss its suspected nuclear weapons programs at the United Nations would "hamstring" efforts for dialogue and be a "prelude to war." The warning came a day after the communist country agreed to multilateral talks over the nuclear standoff. North Korea, fearful the United Nations may impose economic sanctions, has accused the world body of siding with the United States...
U.S. diplomacy wins over N. Korea (08/02/03)
From wire reports The United States achieved a key diplomatic goal when North Korea eased its insistence on one-on-one talks with Washington and agreed Friday to join U.S.-proposed multilateral talks, where it will find little sympathy for its suspected nuclear weapons programs...
Russia says N. Korea supports multilateral talks (08/01/03)
MOSCOW -- North Korea's ambassador to Russia said Thursday his country supported multilateral talks to ease tensions over Pyongyang's nuclear program, the Russian Foreign Ministry said. North Korea has previously said it would be willing to participate in multilateral talks only if it first has one-on-one talks with the United States -- a condition the Bush administration has rejected, saying other countries, including South Korea and Japan, should also be involved...
Officials - Second nuclear facility possible in N. Korea (07/21/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea would find it hard to secretly build another plutonium production plant, a key step toward making nuclear weapons, South Korean experts said Sunday. Yet they did not rule it out amid suspicions the North may be operating a second facility, possibly buried deep in the mountains...
U.N. nuclear agency- North Korea is 'most immediate and serious (07/19/03)
VIENNA, Austria -- The U.N. atomic agency's chief called North Korea "the most serious threat" to nuclear proliferation Friday while urging Iran to let inspectors investigate suspect nuclear facilities. Mohamed ElBaradei, director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said he was concerned about reports that North Korea is reprocessing fuel rods...
Nuclear standoff with North Korea may hurt cause of Japanese (07/19/03)
TOKYO -- When he stepped off the plane from North Korea wearing a communist lapel pin, Kaoru Hasuike had never seen a mobile phone. In fact, he tried ringing up a friend using the television remote control in his Tokyo hotel room. Nine months later, he has shed the communist badge, picked up his own cell phone, an e-mail account and even a new automobile. But still missing are the two children left behind in the North -- remains of a family fractured by one of the Cold War's last frontiers...
Korean soldiers exchange fire at border (07/17/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- South and North Korean soldiers briefly exchanged machine gun fire along their border on Thursday, but the South Korean military said it did not suffer casualties in the shootout. It was not immediately known whether any North Korean troops were injured or killed in the firefight in the Demilitarized Zone, a buffer area that was created at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War to keep opposing armies apart...
North Korean leader, Chinese envoy meet amid nuclear standoff (07/16/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- China's critical role in the nuclear standoff with North Korea was evident Tuesday, with a Chinese envoy reportedly urging the North's leader to accept U.S.-proposed talks aimed at resolving the crisis. North Korean leader Kim Jong Il met an envoy of Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday amid conflicting reports about whether Pyongyang has reprocessed spent nuclear fuel rods, a step toward making atomic bombs...
S.Korea - 'Clouds of war' approaching (07/10/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea said Wednesday the communist North has reprocessed a small number of spent nuclear fuel rods, an important step in making weapons. The report came as North Korean envoys warned that the "black clouds of a nuclear war" are approaching...
N. Korea warns Security Council on nukes (06/28/03)
UNITED NATIONS -- North Korea sharply criticized the United States Friday in a letter warning the U.N. Security Council to take a neutral stance regarding Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions. The five-page letter, submitted by North Korean Ambassador Pak Gil Yon, was peppered with fiery language accusing Washington of threatening his country and violating international treaties...
S. Korean prosecutor ends summit probe (06/26/03)
By Barbara Demick ~ Los Angeles Times SEOUL, South Korea -- It has all the elements of an intriguing political scandal: offshore bank accounts, a mysterious burglary and presidential aides on covert missions. And like the true classics of the genre, this scandal is likely to leave an indelible mark on how a nation views its history...
N. Korea warns of 'emergency measure' on nuclear issue (06/21/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea warned Friday it will take a "strong emergency measure" if the United States takes the dispute over the communist state's nuclear weapons programs to the U.N. Security Council. The United States is seeking a council statement to condemn North Korea's nuclear programs and demand that they be immediately dismantled "in a verifiable and irreversible manner."...
U.S. wants U.N. to condemn N. Korea nuclear weapons program (06/20/03)
UNITED NATIONS -- The United States wants the U.N. Security Council to condemn North Korea's nuclear weapons program and demand its immediate and permanent destruction, according to a draft American document obtained Thursday by The Associated Press...
Southeast Asian nations called upon to pressure North Korea (06/19/03)
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia -- Secretary of State Colin Powell called on Southeast Asian nations Wednesday to close ranks behind a U.S. effort to form a broad coalition of countries to curb North Korea's nuclear weapons ambitions. "This is not a bilateral matter between the United States and North Korea," Powell said, according to a State Department official who attended a closed meeting where Powell spoke...
U.S. pushes Security Council to act on North Korean issue (06/19/03)
UNITED NATIONS -- The United States said Wednesday it launched a new effort to persuade the U.N. Security Council to declare that North Korea isn't complying with its obligations to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons. On April 9, the council refused to act on a U.S. request to condemn North Korea for pulling out of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty because of strong opposition from China and Russia, which have close ties to Pyongyang...
Former leader says North Korea should learn lesson from Iraq (06/16/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's former president who engineered a historic summit with North Korea three years ago Sunday urged the communist country to learn "a lesson" from the Iraq war and give up its nuclear programs. Kim Dae-jung, who met North Korean leader Kim Jong Il in Pyongyang in 2000, said the nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula can be resolved if the North first abandons its nuclear ambitions. ...
North Korea says it plans to build 'nuclear deterrent' (06/10/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea threatened on Monday to build nuclear weapons as a deterrent to what it calls a "hostile" U.S. policy -- the communist government's first public declaration of its nuclear ambitions. The statement marked a sharpening of the North's tone in its standoff with Washington. ...
S. Korean villagers anxious about U.S. leaving border (06/08/03)
UIJONGBU, South Korea -- Dozens of M1A1 Abrams tanks rumbled over the hills and dummy grenades exploded. Through the haze of smoke bombs, American soldiers scrambled to battle positions near the border with communist North Korea. For many South Korean villagers near the border, the U.S. 2nd Infantry's frontline deployment and exercises like Saturday's have been a soothing reminder of Washington's commitment to deterring hostilities on the divided peninsula...
Lawmakers seek to spark dialogue in N. Korea visit (05/29/03)
WASHINGTON -- Six U.S. lawmakers hope to ease tensions with North Korea in the first visit by American officials since a crisis began last fall over the country's secret nuclear program. They will tell North Korean officials that economic aid and trade lie ahead if Pyongyang abandons its nuclear program and improves relations with the United States, said the delegation leader, Rep. Curt Weldon, R-Pa...
China, Russia both urge North Korea to drop nuclear bid (05/28/03)
MOSCOW -- Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Vladimir Putin, meeting Tuesday in the Kremlin, urged North Korea to relinquish its nuclear ambitions and keep the Korean peninsula free of nuclear weapons. Their joint declaration, which also pressed for a central U.N. role in rebuilding Iraq, came during Hu's first trip abroad as leader of China, North Korea's main ally...
Experts call for negotiations with N. Korea (05/19/03)
WASHINGTON -- The United States should abandon its refusal to open direct negotiations with North Korea and instead seek "a verifiable nuclear settlement" with that country, a report sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations says. The Bush administration, rejecting direct talks with North Korea, has pressed for a negotiation with broad international participation, to include China, South Korea, Japan and perhaps others...
Spy photo shows North Korea may be reprocessing fuel rods (05/09/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- The United States has given South Korea a satellite photograph showing smoke coming from a North Korean nuclear facility, a possible sign the communist nation has started reprocessing spent fuel rods, a South Korean official said Thursday...
Tuesday's tornado was near repeat of 1923 cyclone at Jackson (05/09/03)
Though few people today could possibly recall it, Tuesday's tornado was not the first time the heart of Jackson was ripped apart by a fury of wind. Eighty years have passed but the story was much the same then as it was this week. A tornado devastated the town March 11, 1923, destroying homes, businesses and churches. The descriptions reported by the Southeast Missourian of that cyclone's path and its aftermath are eerily similar to Tuesday's storm...
U.S. official - Amid threats, N. Korea talks disarmament (04/30/03)
WASHINGTON -- Despite its threats of nuclear tests, North Korea caught the attention of U.S. officials last week by also expressing a willingness to dispose of its missiles and nuclear weapons programs. The North Koreans told U.S. diplomats in Beijing that in exchange for disarmament, they would insist on a long list of concessions from the United States, including energy assistance...
North Korean nuclear claim puts U.S. in sensitive position (04/28/03)
WASHINGTON -- North Korea seems today to have crept closer to a crisis by claiming it has, and might test, a more potent nuclear arsenal than the Americans thought it had. Even if the country's declaration were nothing more than bluster, it presents a dilemma for the Bush administration. And it shows that, the success in Iraq notwithstanding, the United States is unlikely to resort to drastic measures to take out the nuclear bombs...
North Korea stonewalls demands to give up nuclear weapons (04/28/03)
South Korea demanded Sunday that North Korea abandon any atomic weapons development, but Northern negotiators in Pyongyang stonewalled the nuclear discussion. Chief North Korean delegate Kim Ryong Song refused to confirm a claim made during talks last week with U.S. and Chinese officials in Beijing that North Korea is making nuclear weapons, and instead sought to steer Sunday's Cabinet-level talks toward inter-Korean economic projects, Seoul officials said...
South Korea to use crucial Cabinet talks (04/27/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- On the eve of crucial Cabinet-level meetings between the two countries, South Korea said Saturday it will demand that North Korea abolish its nuclear weapons programs, while the communist state vowed to stand up to "U.S. imperialists."...
U.S. to confer with allies on North Korea sanctions (04/26/03)
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration said Friday it will confer with allies about possibly seeking U.N. sanctions against North Korea after a round of nuclear talks marked by brinkmanship on the part of the communist country. In the past, North Korea has said that international sanctions would constitute a "declaration of war."...
North Korea stops tourism project with South Korea (04/25/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea on Friday suspended a joint tourism project with South Korea, citing fears of SARS, a South Korean government official said. The move came amid heightened tensions over North Korea's reported acknowledgment that it has nuclear weapons during talks in Beijing with U.S. negotiators...
North Korean talks tough on second day of nuclear negotiations (04/25/03)
BEIJING -- North Korea accused the United States of leading the region toward war Thursday in an apparent attempt by the communist nation to increase pressure on negotiators holding a second day of talks on its nuclear programs. There was no indication whether any progress had come from the second day of meetings Thursday. ...
U.S., North Korea, China begin talks on North's nuclear program (04/24/03)
BEIJING -- American and North Korean negotiators took cautious steps Wednesday toward resolving a standoff over the North's suspected nuclear weapons program, ending six months of verbal sparring that pushed tensions on the Korean Peninsula to their highest level in years...
U.S. wary of N. Korean stunts at new talks (04/23/03)
WASHINGTON -- U.S. negotiators holding talks with the North Koreans this week have reason to be wary of that nation's flair for diplomatic drama. Decades ago, North Korean officials once sawed the legs of chairs at the bargaining table, so their U.S. negotiating partners would look smaller. More recently, they tried shrinking their own team -- a member a day -- to unsettle the Americans...
Bush - 'Good chance' of diplomacy with Pyongyang (04/21/03)
CRAWFORD, Texas -- Days ahead of scheduled talks with North Korea, President Bush on Sunday gave diplomatic pressure a "good chance" of succeeding in coaxing Pyongang to end its tension-producing nuclear weapons programs. Along with the United States, regional neighbors China, Japan and South Korea are opposed to a nuclear-armed North Korea. Bush cited that unanimity of purpose -- if not of strategy -- as reason for optimism...
N. Korea proposes talks with S. Korea in wake of nuclear claims (04/20/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea made a conciliatory gesture toward South Korea on Saturday, proposing high-level talks a day after jeopardizing negotiations with the United States by claiming it is reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, possibly for weapons...
North Korea proposes Cabinet-level talks with South Korea (04/19/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea on Saturday renewed an offer to hold high-level talks with South Korea, a week after the North abruptly canceled such a meeting. The proposal came a day after the communist state appeared to announce steps that could yield six to eight bombs within months...
S. Korean leader dismisses criticism over exclusion from talks (04/18/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's president said Thursday he believes negotiations between the United States, North Korea and China will help ease a nuclear standoff even though his country has been excluded from the talks. "Many people seem disappointed and feel their pride hurt because we will not participate in the talks," President Roh Moo-hyun said in a statement issued by his office. "The most important thing is the talks' outcome."...
China works out U.S., N. Korea talks (04/17/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- The United States and North Korea will try to resolve their six-month standoff over Pyongyang's suspected nuclear weapons program in talks arranged by China, the communist North's closest ally, U.S. and South Korean officials said Wednesday...
North Korea marks birthday of late founder (04/16/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea celebrated the birthday of late national founder Kim Il Sung on Tuesday, pledging to strengthen its massive military but avoiding the anti-American diatribes that often accompany the event. Many North Korean's visited the Kumsusan Memorial Palace in Pyongyang, where Kim's embalmed body lies in state, according to KCNA, the North's official news agency. Kim died at age 82 on July 8, 1994, after ruling for half a century with a personality cult...
North Korea hints it would accept multilateral talks (04/13/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- After months of insisting on direct talks with Washington, North Korea signaled on Saturday that it would be willing to accept U.S. demands for multilateral discussions over the communist country's alleged nuclear weapons program...
Security Council refuses to condemn North Korea (04/10/03)
UNITED NATIONS -- The U.N. Security Council refused Wednesday to act on a U.S. request to condemn North Korea for pulling out of a treaty to curb nuclear weapons because of strong opposition from China and Russia. But U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte called the council's expression of concern "an acceptable outcome." He expressed hope that North Korea "will not reject diplomatic efforts to address its nuclear program" and warned Pyongyang against any "further escalatory steps."...
N. Korea's subdued demeanor surprises (04/09/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea has surprised many by hunkering down instead of taking advantage of Washington's preoccupation with Iraq to further its nuclear ambitions on the Korean Peninsula. The subdued behavior leaves observers wondering: Does this signify a change in North Korean diplomacy? Or is Pyongyang just waiting for the Iraq war to end before pushing the standoff further -- or bringing it to a close?...
Cabinet-level talks between Koreas canceled (04/08/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Cabinet-level talks between North and South Korea were abruptly canceled Monday in a setback to efforts to get the North give up its nuclear program. The talks aimed at reconciliation between the two Koreas were canceled after Pyongyang failed to confirm that the meetings would take place, South Korea's Unification Ministry said...
North Korea fires missile (04/01/03)
TOKYO -- North Korea test-fired a ground-to-ship missile Tuesday morning, Japanese defense officials said. The missile test came just days after Japan launched two satellites into orbit that will help keep watch over North Korea's missile and suspected nuclear arms programs. The launch angered the communist state and it threatened to test-fire a missile...
North Korea cites Iraq as reason not to compromise in standoff (03/30/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea on Saturday pointed to the weapons inspections that preceded the war in Iraq as a reason not to compromise in its own standoff with the United States. Iraq invited its "miserable fate" by opening its weapons facilities to U.N. inspectors, the North's main state-run newspaper said. North Korea, it added, will not make the same mistake...
Japan launches satellites to help monitor N. Korean military (03/28/03)
TANEGASHIMA, Japan -- Japan rocketed two spy satellites into space from this remote island today, giving it orbiting eyes to monitor North Korea's missile and suspected nuclear weapons programs. The satellites, the first of at least four in the $2.05 billion spy program, were launched into clear but windy skies atop an H2-A rocket, the centerpiece launch vehicle of Japan's space program...
N. Korea skips U.N. meeting as tension grows (03/27/03)
PANMUNJOM, Korea -- North Korea on Wednesday cut off the sole regular military contact with the U.S.-led U.N. Command that monitors the Korean War armistice, saying it was "meaningless" to sit with the Americans. The move will further isolate the North amid heightened tension over its suspected nuclear weapons programs...
North Korea warns of 'second Iraqi crisis' (03/26/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea claimed again Tuesday the United States may attack the communist state after the war in Iraq and spark a "second Iraqi crisis." North Korea accuses Washington of inciting a dispute over the North's suspected nuclear weapons programs to create an excuse for invasion...
N. Korea - U.S. force isn't option in nuclear standoff (03/24/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea, watching the war in Iraq, warned on Sunday that force will not solve its nuclear standoff with the United States. Pyongyang accuses Washington of planning to attack the communist country, and fears it may be next after Iraq. Dozens of U.S. and South Korean tanks engaged in a simulated battle Sunday near the inter-Korean border...
U.N. envoy - North Korea preparing for war (03/23/03)
BEIJING -- North Korea is preparing for possible war with the United States and is concerned about Washington's intentions after its attack on Iraq, said a U.N. envoy who returned Saturday from the North. North Korean officials say missile tests and other recent steps that have unsettled its neighbors were meant as preparation for such a conflict, said Maurice Strong, a Canadian aide to Secretary General Kofi Annan. ...
S. Korean military put on heightened alert against North (03/21/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea put its military on heightened alert for any North Korean attempt to raise tension on the Korean Peninsula while the world is distracted by the outbreak of war in Iraq. "We expect North Korea to be cautious, but we have strengthened our alert status and our early warning status in response to possible North Korean attempts to increase tensions," presidential spokeswoman Song Kyoung-hee said...
Specter of arms race looms in shadow of N. Korean nukes (03/18/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Suspicious Asian nations bristling with nuclear weapons, each striving for an nuclear war chest bigger than their neighbor's -- Washington's latest worry about North Korea reads like a Cold War flashback. Vice President Dick Cheney raised the specter this weekend, saying a nuclear-armed North Korea could incite neighboring nations to build their own bombs...
N. Korea says U.S. is pushing toward second Korean War (03/17/03)
The AssociatedPress SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea cannot remain "a passive onlooker" while the United States conducts military exercises in the region, the North said Sunday, claiming that Washington is pushing a nuclear crisis toward a second Korean War...
U.S. carrier shows off might to North Korea (03/16/03)
ABOARD THE USS CARL VINSON -- North Korea warned that the massing of U.S forces in the region increases the danger of nuclear war as a U.S. aircraft carrier anchored off South Korea on Saturday. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun told his military to prepare for the possibility that North Korea might attempt minor provocations during U.S.-South Korean military exercises that will involve the USS Carl Vinson, South Korean news agency Yonhap said...
Air Force to resume spy flights off coast of Korean peninsula (03/13/03)
WASHINGTON -- The Air Force prepared Wednesday to resume reconnaissance flights off the coast of North Korea, 10 days after Korean fighter jets intercepted an Air Force plane equipped to monitor missile tests, a senior U.S. official said. It was not immediately clear whether the Air Force planned to use fighter jets to escort the reconnaissance flights, but officials said earlier this week that escorting was unlikely. ...
North Korea's test-firing of missile raises tensions (03/11/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- In an apparent attempt to push the United States into talks, North Korea test-fired a short-range missile Monday amid tension over its suspected efforts to develop nuclear weapons. Analysts said the widely anticipated launch from a base on North Korea's east coast fit a pattern of unusual military maneuvers in recent weeks that seemed designed to pressure Washington into dialogue...
Powell, Rice reject direct talks with North Korea (03/10/03)
WASHINGTON -- Top Bush administration officials said Sunday the time still isn't ripe for one-on-one talks with North Korea, despite concerns that North Korea is moving rapidly to develop new nuclear weapons. Any lasting solution to the North Korean problem will need the support of Russia, China and other nations, Secretary of State Colin Powell and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice, said in separate television interviews. North Korea opposes multilateral talks...
North Korea test-fires missile, Japanese official says (03/10/03)
TOKYO -- North Korea test-fired an anti-ship cruise missile into the Sea of Japan on today, the second in less than a month, Japan's Defense Agency chief said. Shigeru Ishiba said the missile didn't appear to target Japan or any other country in particular...
Analysts- N. Korea's rhetoric calculated to stir hostilities (03/09/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea's interception of a U.S. reconnaissance plane was an attempt to grab the attention of the world's only superpower, analysts believe. But it may also have been a means of stirring tension and patriotic fervor at home...
Democrats criticize policy of Bush on North Korea (03/06/03)
WASHINGTON -- Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle said the Bush administration continues to "sit back and watch" as the crisis in North Korea steadily worsens. The administration is "playing down the threat and apparently playing for time. But time is not on our side," said Daschle, D-S.D., who was joined Wednesday by other leading Democrats in voicing concern over recent trends on the Korean peninsula...
North Korean interception of U.S. plane raises tension (03/05/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- After North Korean fighter jets intercepted a U.S. reconnaissance plane, the communist country said Tuesday the threat of armed confrontation on the Korean Peninsula was growing because of what it called U.S. aggression. North Korea did not comment on the interception of the plane. Its state-run media instead criticized annual U.S.-South Korean military exercises that began Tuesday, saying they were preparation for an attack. The exercise, named Foal Eagle, ends April 2...
North Korean fighter jets intercepts U.S. spy plane (03/04/03)
WASHINGTON -- Four armed North Korean fighter jets intercepted a U.S. reconnaissance plane over the Sea of Japan and one of the Korean jets used its radar in a manner that indicated it might attack, U.S. officials said Monday. Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said it was the first such incident since April 1969 when a North Korean plane shot down a U.S. Navy EC-121 surveillance plane, killing all 31 Americans aboard...
North Korea threat says war may break out 'any moment' (03/02/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun, in his first policy speech since taking office, on Saturday warned of a "calamity" from the standoff over North Korea's nuclear program unless a peaceful resolution is found quickly. After his speech, North Korea issued a dispatch threatening that nuclear war could break out on the Korean Peninsula at "any moment," an escalation of the communist North's hostile rhetoric as international pressure grows for it to disarm...
N. Korea urges direct talks with United States (03/01/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea accused the United States Friday of triggering a nuclear crisis by failing to provide promised energy, disrupting inter-Korean reconciliation and plotting war against the North. At the same time, Pyongyang reiterated that the only way to resolve the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula was through direct talks with the United States. Washington says ties can only improve if North Korea first abandons its nuclear ambitions...
U.S. officials - North Korea restarts reactor (02/28/03)
WASHINGTON -- Defying the Bush administration, North Korea has restarted a reactor at its main nuclear complex, possibly laying the groundwork for additional atomic weapons beyond the one or two it is believed to possess already. The disclosure Wednesday was a blow to the administration's reliance on diplomatic pressure to induce the North to set aside its nuclear ambitions...
County counts more road costs (02/28/03)
Facing the possibility of having to maintain lettered state routes -- such as Route K which extends west from William Street -- the Cape Girardeau County Commission took the first steps Thursday to find out how much that would cost. The commission said it would charge county highway administrator Scott Bechtold with assessing the routes and the bridges on those roads so the county would be prepared if the financially strapped Missouri Department of Transportation acts on suggestions that were presented during a statewide commissioners meeting earlier this month.. ...
North Korea tells its people to ready for war (02/27/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea urged its people and armed forces to be ready for war, saying Wednesday that it could be the U.S. military's next target after Iraq. The communist government in Pyongyang accuses the United States of planning to send reinforcements into its coastal waters as a precursor of invasion...
S. Korean president inaugurated amid tension with North (02/26/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Roh Moo-hyun took power as South Korea's president on Tuesday faced by the forces that will shape his coming months in office: North Korean defiance and U.S. determination to strip the communist regime of its nuclear weapons development...
China rejects Powell's proposals on N. Korea (02/25/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Chinese officials rebuffed a U.S. proposal Monday for a regional coalition to pressure North Korea to end its nuclear weapons program and told Secretary of State Colin Powell that direct talks between the United States and North Korea hold the best hope for resolving the dispute...
Powell seeks more Chinese intervention with N. Korea (02/24/03)
BEIJING -- In what could be a test for U.S.-Chinese relations, Secretary of State Colin Powell is urging a stronger effort from Beijing to persuade North Korea to curb its nuclear weapons programs, a U.S. official said Sunday. Powell, on the second stop of an Asian trip, also was making the case that China should not veto a new U.S. resolution to the U.N. Security Council that would authorize the use of force to disarm Iraq and remove its president, Saddam Hussein...
Mood swing - Pro-U.S. crowd finds voice in South Korea (02/23/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Not long ago, angry chants of "murderous American GIs" and the somber flicker of anti-U.S. candlelight vigils once filled the downtown streets of Seoul. But as tension builds over North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons program, pro-American rallies are drawing big crowds in the South Korean capital...
Powell, Japanese prime minister discuss N. Korea (02/23/03)
TOKYO -- Secretary of State Colin Powell and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi shared concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile programs, and agreed Saturday to coordinate efforts to deal with the problem, officials said. Powell, who also met with Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, is on his first visit to East Asia since North Korea acknowledged in October that it was developing uranium-based nuclear arms...
North Korean fighter jet crosses border with South Korea (02/21/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Rattling nerves along the border, a North Korean fighter jet violated South Korean airspace over the Yellow Sea on Thursday before turning back as warplanes in the South scrambled. The flight -- the first such incursion in 20 years -- was the latest in a series of North Korean provocations...
A Korean's view of Korea (02/21/03)
By Hu Hyuk Lee Many Korean residents in America and some Americans were astounded to hear a Korean college man say "Bush is more dangerous than North Korean leader Kim Jong Il" during an interview on the CBS show "60 Minutes." It is hard to say that he represents all of the political opinions in Korea. But there is no doubt that people like him have started to join the mainstream of political circles in Korea, at least after the 2002 presidential election...
North Korea celebrates leader's 61st birthday (02/16/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Koreans on Saturday celebrated leader Kim Jong Il's upcoming birthday with vows to defend him at a time of "stern and harsh hardship" -- a reference to the dispute over the country's nuclear weapons program. Kim, who rules his country with a personality cult, turns 61 today. On the eve of his birthday, senior party and military officials gathered in Pyongyang in an annual "national meeting" to renew their loyalty...
N. Korea missile could hit America, CIA says (02/13/03)
WASHINGTON -- North Korea has an untested ballistic missile capable of reaching the western United States, top U.S. intelligence officials told Congress Wednesday. In Vienna, the U.N. nuclear agency declared North Korea in violation for its nuclear program and reported the country to the Security Council...
North Korea in violation, but IAEA still calls for peaceful end (02/13/03)
VIENNA, Austria -- The U.N. nuclear agency declared North Korea in violation of international treaties Wednesday, raising the stakes in the standoff by sending the dispute to the Security Council. The move could lead to punishing sanctions which the North has said it would consider an act of war...
Sanctions against N. Korea no easy task (02/12/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Already at the center of the world debate over war in Iraq, the U.N. Security Council is about to have another global flashpoint to deal with: the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons development. The question now is whether the council can do anything about it...
S. Korean leader believes North has no nuclear bombs (02/11/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- In sharp differences with Washington, South Korea said North Korea does not have nuclear weapons and the United States should open direct talks with Pyongyang on the crisis. South Korean Prime Minister Kim Suk-soo told parliament Monday there is no proof the North has produced nuclear weapons despite U.S. assertions that Pyongyang has one or two atomic bombs...
Rumsfeld sees rising dangers in North Korea (02/10/03)
WASHINGTON -- The official Bush administration view of North Korea's nuclear breakout is that, while troubling, it does not amount to a crisis. Yet that is exactly the word that comes to mind when Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld talks about its dangers...
South Korea's ruling party fears U.S. getting emotional (02/09/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's ruling party said Saturday it feared Washington might be getting emotional in its handling of a nuclear standoff with North Korea, a day after President Bush left open the possibility of a military strike. "North Korea's recent moves cannot be praised, but we cannot help expressing concern as to whether emotions have interfered with U.S. ...
North Korea warns of 'nuclear disasters' (02/08/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Any U.S. moves to build up its military force on the Korean Peninsula could lead to "horrible nuclear disasters," the communist state warned Friday. The North Korean statement, the latest in a series of warnings, came a day after the White House said it had "robust plans for any contingencies," including military action...
N. Korea - U.S. attack on nuclear facilities would trigger war (02/07/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Pre-emptive attacks on North Korea's nuclear facilities would trigger a "total war," the communist state warned Thursday after Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld labeled the North's government a "terrorist regime." The White House said North Korea's talk of war was a "real cause for concern." Presidential spokesman Ari Fleischer said the United States had "robust plans for any contingencies," including military action...
Shopkeeper accused of talks with N. Korea (02/06/03)
LOS ANGELES -- A snack shop owner who authorities say was paid to communicate with North Korean officials through codes and meetings abroad -- as well as recruit other agents -- appeared in court Wednesday to face charges of failing to register with the federal government...
N. Korea to proceed with operation of nuclear facilities (02/06/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea said Wednesday it has reactivated its nuclear facilities, a surprise announcement that raised questions whether it was trying to take advantage of Washington's preoccupation with Iraq to ratchet up pressure in its own standoff with the United States...
Underground movement (02/02/03)
BENEATH THE DEMILITARIZED ZONE, Korea -- In the tunnel's dank subterranean air, a nightmare scenario of war begins with the steady thud of boots on granite. South Koreans once feared that thousands of North Korean soldiers would surge through the dark, hundreds of feet below the ground, then burst to the surface far into South Korean territory...
S. Korea sent $186 million to N. Korea prior to peace summit (01/31/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- South Korea's main opposition party asked President Kim Dae-jung on Thursday to clear up suspicions that his government spent nearly $200 million to "buy" its crowning achievement: a historic summit with North Korea that helped Kim win the Nobel Peace Prize...
N. Korea sees Bush speech as threat to 'strangle' nation (01/30/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea accused the United States on Wednesday of adopting a "serpent" strategy to strangle the communist country after President Bush warned it would suffer isolation and economic hardship unless it abandons its nuclear ambitions...
South Korean envoy unable to meet North Korean leader (01/29/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- A South Korean envoy who had hoped to try in person to dissuade North Korea's Kim Sung Il from pursuing a nuclear program was returning home Wednesday without meeting the reclusive leader, as the North accused Washington of planning a major attack on the communist country...
South Korean envoy meets key aide to N. Korean leader (01/28/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea ordered the U.N. nuclear agency to keep out of its business Monday, a scornful diatribe that came as top North and South Korean officials held cordial talks on resolving Pyongyang's nuclear crisis. Moving ahead with Seoul's diplomatic offensive, South Korea's presidential envoy met with a close confidant of reclusive North Korean President Kim Jong Il -- and there was speculation that he and other envoy could meet with Kim himself in the coming days...
North Korea calls for 'national cooperation' with South Korea (01/27/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea called for "national cooperation" with South Korea on Sunday as Seoul prepared to send special envoys to Pyongyang to help defuse tensions over the communist North's nuclear development. The North's acceptance of the envoys could signal an easing in its refusal to have outside help in ending the crisis, which Pyongyang has insisted is a matter between it and Washington...
Iraq-style inspections appear unlikely in North Korea (01/24/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- In Iraq, U.N. weapons inspectors race unannounced to ammunition depots, technical colleges and presidential palaces. Such a scenario is hard to picture in reclusive North Korea, even if it agrees to dismantle its nuclear programs...
U.S. will push for sanctions on North Korea (01/23/03)
UNITED NATIONS -- A top U.S. official said Wednesday he will push for the U.N. Security Council to consider sanctioning North Korea for its nuclear programs, even as a U.N. envoy said the North would consider sanctions "an act of war." But Western diplomats on the Security Council said the issue likely will not come before them anytime soon since it still is being debated by the U.N. nuclear watchdog agency in Vienna, Austria...
N. Korean delegation arrives in Seoul for talks (01/22/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- The chief North Korean delegate to talks with South Korea hinted Tuesday he was unwilling to discuss an issue of vital concern to his hosts and their allies: North Korea's suspected nuclear weapons program. The comments by Kim Ryong Song, the North Korean delegate, raised doubts about whether South Korea would make any headway during the four-day talks in urging the North to drop its nuclear programs...
Report - Russian envoy holds talks with N. Korean leader (01/21/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korean President Kim Jong Il heard a Russian plan for ending his nation's nuclear standoff during talks Monday with a Moscow envoy, his first known meeting with a foreigner since the crisis started. The three-part plan, presented by Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov, envisions nuclear-free status for the Korean peninsula, and written security guarantees and a humanitarian and economic aid package for the impoverished North...
Russia submits nuclear settlement plan to N. Korea (01/20/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- Russia presented a settlement plan to North Korean leaders Sunday and U.S. diplomats broadened offers of aid to the impoverished North, speeding the pace of diplomacy to resolve the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula. Also, South Korea's president-elect declared he didn't mean to suggest the United States considered a military strike on the North, saying his comments Saturday were misinterpreted by the media...
S. Korea-U.S. considered attack on N. Korea (01/19/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- High-ranking U.S. officials last month considered attacking North Korea before agreeing to seek a peaceful solution to the standoff over nuclear weapons, South Korea's president-elect said Saturday. Roh Moo-hyun, speaking on television, said there were top-level U.S. discussions about a possible invasion, but Washington officials Saturday were quick to say they had no knowledge such talks took place...
North Korea could reap benefits from several deals (01/19/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- The offers being waved at North Korea to abandon its nuclear ambitions are getting more attractive all the time. The United States has spoken of a "bold initiative" of aid, a top nuclear inspector predicts plenty of international aid and South Korea's president-elect sees the future North as part of a dynamic Asian economy...
U.S. envoy says no quick fix to N. Korean impasse (01/17/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- The search for a peaceful resolution to the standoff between the United States and North Korea over its nuclear weapons programs will be a "very slow process," a top U.S. envoy to the region said Thursday. The call for patience from U.S. Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly followed North Korea's angry rejection of American offers to consider energy and agricultural aid to the isolated regime if it gives up its nuclear efforts...
North Korea continues to reject U.S. aid offers (01/16/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea rejected as "pie in the sky" U.S. offers of talks and possible aid in exchange for abandoning its nuclear ambitions, accusing Washington on Wednesday of staging a "deceptive drama" to mislead world opinion. Keeping up a stream of anti-American invective -- even as it agreed to more high-level meetings with South Korea next week -- Pyongyang declared it would accept no U.S. offer of dialogue with conditions attached...
Bush talks of economic rewards if Pyongyang cooperates (01/15/03)
WASHINGTON -- Adopting a more conciliatory stance, President Bush said Tuesday he may revive a proposal for substantial economic benefits for North Korea if it agrees to dismantle its nuclear weapons facilities. The administration had been prepared to make such an offer last year but withdrew it after learning that the North Koreans had initiated a uranium-based nuclear weapons program...
N. Korea threatens new 'options'; China offers to mediate (01/15/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- China offered Tuesday to host talks between the United States and North Korea in a bid to end their standoff, and the North warned it was running out of patience with Washington, threatening to exercise undefined "options." A vaguely worded statement from Pyongyang did not specify what options it was considering, but suggested the isolationist communist nation was prepared to escalate the crisis over its drive to develop nuclear weapons...
Anti-U.S. diatribes are daily fodder for North Koreans (01/15/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- "Let's exterminate our sworn enemy U.S. imperialists!" reads a slogan inside North Korean jet cockpits, sailors' cabins and army guard posts. In schools, teachers tell students Americans are "two-legged wolves" and the United States is a "hotbed of all evils swarming with beggars."...
White House - Assistance for N. Korea not reward (01/14/03)
WASHINGTON -- The Bush administration walked a diplomatic tightrope Monday, talking of energy assistance and other help for North Korea while insisting such tantalizing prospects wouldn't be a prize for Pyongyang's increasing bellicose behavior. The administration argued this fine point: that talking with North Korea about its willingness to back off its nuclear weapons programs is different from negotiating over what the impoverished nation would get in return...
N. Korea denies nuclear program (01/13/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea insisted Sunday that it never admitted having a secret nuclear program, sending another conflicting signal in the escalating crisis over its alleged plans to build nuclear weapons as a U.S. envoy began talks in South Korea on the standoff...
North Korea's gambit is framed in the familiar language of war (01/12/03)
WASHINGTON -- When North Korea coupled its decision to get out of a nuclear arms treaty with warnings of a fiery confrontation and world war, Korea-watchers acted as if a flea had landed on their lapels. Flick. "Certainly it gives you a sense things are not going well," said Joel Wit, a global security scholar, speaking with what would seem to be comical understatement if his views were not shared so widely...
N. Korea hints it may end missile testing moratorium (01/12/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea sent sharply mixed messages Saturday, vowing to "smash U.S. nuclear maniacs" in a "holy war" while its diplomats told New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson their country had no intention of building nuclear bombs. Pyongyang's belligerent message included threats as well to resume long-range missile tests and to begin reprocessing spent fuel rods from its nuclear reactor to make atomic bombs...
North Korea withdraws from global nuclear arms control treaty (01/10/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- North Korea withdrew from the global nuclear arms control treaty Friday, the communist nation's official news agency said, heightening the crisis over the North's nuclear development plans. North Korea pledged that despite its withdrawal it would not develop nuclear arms...
Former Ambassador Richardson becomes intermediary with N. Korea (01/10/03)
PRichardson, governor of New Mexico, met with envoys Thursday night. WASHINGTON -- New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador, became a surprise intermediary between the United States and North Korea, meeting Thursday night in his state with two envoys from the communist country...
Neutral 'village' a diplomatic portal and tourist attraction (01/10/03)
PANMUNJOM, Korea -- Don't smile at the communist guards, never point toward the watch towers and forget about wearing blue jeans. Even for the droves of tourists, strict Cold War rules prevail along the immaculately groomed paths of Panmunjom, the museum-like neutral "village" between the divided Koreas where officials signed an armistice that ended the 1950-1953 Korean War...
South Koreans still divided over U.S. military presence (01/10/03)
SEOUL, South Korea -- It was an unusual spectacle in a nation where resentment toward the U.S. military is on the rise: hundreds of South Koreans, many of them waving American flags, rallying in support of the U.S. troop presence. The demonstration by 400 elderly people this week in front of a U.S. Air Force base near Seoul was far smaller than anti-U.S