August 26, 2008
North Korea, Come On!! Why take you off the list?
Anthony Bradley
(CNN) -- North Korea said Tuesday it has stopped disabling its nuclear plants and will consider restoring them because the United States has not removed it from a list of states that sponsor terrorism. N. Korea demolished the cooling tower at its main reactor complex in Yongbyon in June.N. Korea demolished the cooling tower at its main reactor complex in Yongbyon in June. The communist nation said it halted the dismantling of the plutonium-producing plants on August 14, the state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported.
The North "will consider soon a step to restore the nuclear facilities in (Yongbyon) to their original state," the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement that KCNA carried. North Korea agreed to a complete dismantling of its Yongbyon nuclear complex by October.
In return, U.S. President George W. Bush said he would lift some U.S. sanctions against North Korea and remove it from a State Department list of state sponsors of terrorism.
The sticking point between the two countries involves verification. Washington said last week it will not remove North Korea from the terrorism list until Pyongyang agrees to set up an internationally recognizable mechanism to verify its declaration.
Dear North Korea, these are exactly the kinds of actions that explain why you all will remain on the list. Why would we take you off the list because you started to dismantle your program? Seriously?
Thoughts on Korea's nuke program?
I'm almost convinced that N. Korea mostly just likes to beat their chest and watch western nations squirm.
Posted by: Kyle at August 26, 2008 4:25 PMYep, shady for sure!
Posted by: Anthony at August 27, 2008 8:40 AMPressuring the North Korean government to dismantle nuclear power stations as a disciplinary measure may not be the wisest course of action. After all, nuclear energy has both positive and negative uses, and a nuclear power plant provides electricity far more efficiently than coal or hydroelectric dams, and a well-managed facility poses no threat to anyone.
By preventing the North Koreans from building nuclear power plants, we are effectively consigning them to less efficient and more wasteful sources of energy. This, in turn, hinders economic growth and makes already scarce resources in that country even scarcer. This puts their government, which already controls everything, into a greater position of power because with less to go around, it makes what they already have even more valuable, and it gives them a tangible excuse to blame the Americans as opposed to their mismanagement. Their people, in turn, will put even more faith in their government, effectively perpetuating its existence.
I think North Korea should be free to pursue research and development into positive uses of nuclear energy. Genuine economic growth is what that country needs, and THAT is what will truly undermine their communist government, much like what has happened in China.
Posted by: Ethan V. Jones at August 29, 2008 9:32 PM