North Korea completes eight of eleven disablement measures: Chun Yung-woo; Lee Myung-Bak promises dramatic rise in living standards if Pyongyang gives up its nuclear programmes
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  • South Korea’s chief nuclear envoy, Chun Yung-woo stated that North Korea had completed eight of the eleven measures required to disable its nuclear facilities. He noted that North Korea had made progress in disabling its main plutonium-producing facilities but had failed to complete the work by an end-of-2007 deadline because of technical reasons1. Meanwhile, senior US State Department official Sung Kim, visiting Pyongyang to revitalise the stalled disarmament process, urged North Korea to make a complete and accurate declaration2.

    South Korean President-elect Lee Myung-Bak offered North Korea a dramatic rise in living standards if it abandoned all its nuclear programmes. Lee has already announced plans to merge the South Korean unification ministry with the External Affairs Ministry. Lee has also indicated that he would seek greater reciprocity in relations and link aid more closely to denuclearisation3.

    The debate surrounding the merits of the administration’s North Korean policy continued with Mike McConnell, the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) telling the Senate intelligence committee that North Korea was continuing its uranium enrichment program4. Assistant Secretary of State Chris Hill on his part stated that the US was ready to open full diplomatic ties with Pyongyang if it completely gave up its nuclear weapons and programs. Ambassador Hill wanted greater clarity on the part of North Korea over three specific areas: the status of any nuclear weapons development program, of any uranium enrichment program and of foreign nuclear cooperation it may have had5.

    Speaking at a Congressional hearing, Ambassador Hill also stated that the US planned to send a second shipment of fuel oil to North Korea despite the latter not having provided a full declaration of its nuclear programmes6.

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