The US-North Korea Nuclear Agreement: A Desire to Stop Uranium Enrichment

Will restraints be applied to nuclear development? What’s important is implementing the agreed measures without fail.

Last week, America and North Korea held a conference in Beijing. It was announced that America will send them 240,000 tons of food aid, in exchange for North Korea’s suspension of activities like uranium enrichment.

Until the week preceding the announcement, the inspection of the agreement’s contents and the coordination of the concerned countries were thought to be necessary.

According to the U.S. government, the North Korean suspension will be concentrated on the nuclear activities in Nyonbon, which includes long-distance missile launches, nuclear bomb tests and uranium enrichment. North Korea has also agreed to undergo monitoring by the International Atomic Energy Agency, which will verify their suspension of nuclear activities.

Three years ago, North Korea forcefully evicted IAEA personnel from Nyonbon and conducted a second nuclear test. They declared that they would make all the plutonium they possessed into weapons and begin uranium enrichment, and continued their nuclear development.

At this rate, nuclear missile deployment is just a matter of time. If you think about this danger, the current agreement is exactly as the U.S. government says: “important, if limited.”

The problem is whether or not North Korea will really suspend uranium enrichment. North Korea has a long history of scrapping agreements. To fulfill the agreement, the U.S. should act strictly to prevent any loopholes.

The food aid from America is intended as a nutritional supplement for infants and pregnant women, and it’s possible to give more support if necessary. But isn’t North Korea just taking definite measures by undergoing inspections for uranium enrichment while confirming the status of these rations?

The U.S.’s original plan was to supply 20,000 tons each year. Will North Korea stop uranium enrichment when the first few provisions arrive or when they receive a suitable amount? Clarifying is essential.

Even if the agreement is fulfilled, it’s dangerous to relax.

The agreement on suspending uranium enrichment only requires North Korea to open the Nyonbon facilities to examinations by American nuclear specialists. It stubbornly refuses to go past the partial “suspension” of nuclear activities and has entirely left out the possibility that North Korea is continuing uranium enrichment in secret nuclear facilities.

After the death of General Secretary Kim Jong Il, North Korea rushed to pledge a successor and focused on the still-young Kim Jong Eun. The more frail their organization, the more they will cling to nuclear power and missiles in an “inheritance revolution,” and the less willing they’ll be to let go of them.

The fundamental threat of North Korea has not lessened. We should keep vigilant, and not let our guard down.