Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
North Korea’s evolving nuclear arsenal presents a complex security challenge. What can states and international organizations do to reduce immediate nuclear risks while planning for a longer term disarmament process?
The MTCR is based on a policy, not a treaty. It focuses on ballistic and cruise missiles capable of delivering a 500 kilogram payload to a range of 300 kilometers. Any rockets or unmanned air vehicles with this capability, including space launch vehicles (SLV's), which are "peaceful" versions of long-range missiles, are subject to a strong presumption of export denial.
European mediators are filling the vacuum left by President George Bush's decision not to pursue talks with North Korea. Appalled at the cold shoulder Bush gave South Korea's president and democracy hero, Kim Dae Jung, European Union President Goran Persson will soon go to the region to expedite ways to defuse the nuclear missile threat posed by the North. This is a new role for the Europeans, and one long overdue.
U.S.-South Korean relations will be put to the test this week as South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung visits Washington. Kim’s recent summit with Russian President Putin produced a joint statement effectively opposing U.S. plans to deploy national missile defenses, complicating President Bush’s first foray into East Asian security affairs.
On Friday, November 3, the U.S. and North Korea concluded three days of talks in Kuala Lumpur focused on Pyongyang's missile programs without signing any agreements. U.S. lead negotiator Robert Einhorn characterized the discussions as "detailed, constructive and very substantive," but also emphasized that "significant issues remain to be explored."
After US Secretary of State Albright's historic trip to North Korea the US appears cautiously optimistic that the visit will lead to future progress on a key security issue that has long concerned Washington: North Korea's continued development and export of missiles. The two sides agreed to hold talks on Pyongyang's missile programs this week, reportedly in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday, November 1. The results of the talks may determine whether President Clinton will visit North Korea later in the year.
In Pyongyang Tuesday, US Secretary of State Madeline K. Albright concluded the highest level talks between North Korea and the United States since the end of the Korean War. During the three-day visit, Albright addressed a number of US security concerns, including North Korea's missile development programs and missile exports. US officials have stated that further improvement of relations will hinge on North Korea reigning in its missile programs. Negotiations also may lead to an easing of military tensions on the Korean peninsula, and eventual normalization of US relations with the Communist nation.
In a major step towards establishing formal relations and easing tensions on the Korean peninsula, U.S. Secretary of State Madeline Albright will travel to North Korea on October 23 to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. This would be the first ever meeting by a high-level U.S. official with the North Korean leader, and the trip could pave the way for a visit to Korea by President Clinton in November, an event unimaginable just one year ago.
Secretary of State Madeline Albright’s upcoming visit to North Korea is the latest in an avalanche of diplomatic initiatives promising a more secure future in the Koreas and East Asia. Successful talks would vindicate the Clinton Administration’s approach to peace and security on the Korean Peninsula.
In the highest level talks since 1953, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met North Korea’s Foreign Minister Paek Nam-sun in Bangkok. The meeting took place during the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum, which North Korea was attending for the first time. Secretary Albright said the meeting was a "symbolically historic step away from the sterility and hostility of the past." The 70-minute discussion – which lasted twice as long as had been scheduled –was "a useful and substantive exchange of views," according to one State Department official. Secretary Albright said she had addressed all issues of American concern, including North Korea’s missile program and had asked about Pyongyang's reported willingness to end this program in exchange for space launch services. The Secretary received no clarification on this point.
U.S. and North Korean officials made no concrete progress after three days of talks in Malaysia. U.S. officials are hopeful that the next round would take place before the end of the year. However, no date has been set. The near-term goal of the talks is to solidify plans for a visit to Washington by Kim Yong-sun, who would be the highest-ranking North Korean official to visit the U.S. Capitol.