North Korea News Archives

Part of RCW's North Korea and Nuclear Weapons information and resource page

23 April 2008: South Korea's foreign minister said the "last work" on securing North Korea's declaration of its nuclear activities is under way and six-nation negotiations could resume next month.

22 April 2008: A a team of US experts met North Korea's top nuclear envoy Kim Kye-Gwan in Pyongyang to discuss the declaration of the North's nuclear activities. The group is led by Sung Kim, director of Korean Affairs office at the State Department. It is due to return 24 April to South Korea. Yonhap news agency said the US team would present a detailed list of data and other materials which North Korea needs to present for verification of its plutonium stockpile. A government source explained, "North Korea is expected to submit a declaration before the end of this month if the US team's activity goes well."

14 April 2008: The Inter Press Service News Agency ran an interesting article on the dissonance between media headlines about six-party talks and the reality of military trends in Northeast Asia: see "Talking Peace, Preparing for War" by John Feffer.

13 April 2008: South Korean President Lee Myung Bak urged North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, and said he will cooperate with other involved nations in persuading North Korea to give up nuclear weapons and added that he will keep the "door open" for dialogue with the North. Meanwhile, Sohn Hak-kyu, leader of the liberal United Democratic Party (South Korea's main opposition party) vowed to hold back the right-leaning government's tougher stance toward North Korea by strengthening the liberal legislative bloc. He warned that the government's conservative approach may damage the momentum toward achieving a peaceful diplomatic solution to North Korea's nuclear weapons program and also cause a setback in South Korea's overall development.

12 April 2008: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice denied the North Korean nuclear arms issue is resolved, saying the US needs to verify any North Korean declaration of its nuclear activity. During a news conference with German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Washington, she said, "We are not yet at a point where we can make a judgment as to whether or not the North Koreans have met their obligations and we are therefore not at a point at which the United States can make a judgment as to whether or not it's time to exercise our obligations." She emphasized that the process involved six nations, not just the US.

On the same day, Radio Free Asia cited "multiple diplomatic sources" in Washington that said a secret agreement was reached between the US and North Korea, under which the US "will make a declaration of North Korea's alleged uranium enrichment program and nuclear cooperation with Syria on behalf of Pyongyang." In return, Radio Free Asia reported, the agreement calls for North Korea to "acknowledge" US concern over the two issues and not to "challenge the facts". The radio station said North Korea agreed to make a complete and correct declaration of its nuclear weapons program "in the coming weeks".

10 April 2008: US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the chief US envoy to the six-party talks, said negotiators have reached an understanding on how to move ahead with deadlocked six-nation disarmament efforts. He said that a meeting with his North Korean counterpart in Singapore this week provided a "way forward," and indicated that coming weeks will be crucial to the plan's success, without elaborating. Hill said a meeting of nuclear envoys from the six nations could take place in Beijing in the next few weeks if all sides "can fulfill their obligations." When he was asked if a six-nation meeting would coincide with the US dropping the North from the terrorism blacklist, Hill said,"When we do the six-party meeting, we will need to be in a position to complete all" elements of the nuclear agreement.

9 April 2008: North Korea's Foreign Ministry said that its negotiators had reached a "consensus" with US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill in Singapore on US political concessions in return for the nuclear declaration.

8 April 2008: At a plenary meeting of the United Nations Disarmament Commission's 2008 session, a representative of North Korea's mission to the UN delivered a statement in which he criticized recent US-South Korean joint military excercises in South Korea, arguing that the exercises were "a nuclear war rehearsal to attack the DPRK by force of arms." He also asserted that "violent remarks to preemptively strike the nuclear base of the DPRK were openly made by the south Korean high ranking military official."

1 April 2008: US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the chief US envoy to the six-party talks, said strained inter-Korean relations won't affect efforts to resume the six-way talks on Pyongyang's nuclear program. While in Seoul, Hill cautioned reporters against "overreacting" to the building tension between North and South Korea. Hill's comments followed North Korea's condemnation of South Korea's new president, Lee Myung-bak, who reportedly wants to link inter-Korean ties to progress at the multilateral nuclear talks. Commentary published in North Korea's main daily Rodong Sinmun warned that Seoul's tougher policies on the North could lead to "catastrophic consequences". It said, "The Lee regime will be held fully accountable for the irrevocable catastrophic consequences to be entailed by the freezing of the inter-Korean relations and the disturbance of peace and stability on the Korean peninsula due to its sycophancy towards the U.S. and its moves for confrontation with the North."

26 March 2008: Christopher Hill, the chief US envoy to the six-party talks, warned Tuesday that internal politics in North Korea could interfere with the nuclear deal. He said Pyongyang had informed Washington on a number of occasions that it wanted to reach the deal before President George W. Bush left office in January 2009, but indicated, "North Korea is a country that has a very vertically oriented governing structure to be sure ... And so I think it is fair to say that there are people in North Korea who really are not with the program here, really rather continue to be producing this plutonium for whatever reason."

14 March 2008: US assistant secretary of state Christopher Hill met with his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye-gwan, for eight hours of negotiations. He said that other members of the six-party talks - South Korea, China, Russia and Japan - were briefed and that discussions would continue over the weekend.Sung Kim, chief of the Korean affairs office, stayed behind in case of a possible follow-up with the North Koreans, but it wasn't yet decided whether there would be more meetings. Hill told reporters that the talks in Geneva were probably the most substantive that the United States has had with North Korea since problems developed in December over disarming Pyongyang's nuclear weapons program: "We certainly are further along in this consultation than we were when I arrived this morning," Hill said after meetings withKim Kye-gwan. "There has been progress."

13 March 2008: The top nuclear negotiators from the United States and North Korea met in Geneva to resume talks over the stalled aid-for-disarmament deal. Before going to the meeting, US negotiator Christopher Hill told reporters, "I think we should be a little flexible on format, but with the understanding that flexibility on format doesn't mean flexibility on getting a complete and correct declaration." On 12 March, the Washington Post reported there are "signs that the two sides, with the help of China, have structured a diplomatic framework that could resolve an impasse that has blocked a deal to end Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programs."

10 March 2008: US Ambassador to South Korea Alexander Vershbow said North Korea must send a "clear signal" to fully declare its nuclear programmes in order to get itself removed from a list of state sponsors of terrorism. He argued, "They have not yet shown us even the elements of what will constitute a complete and concrete declaration," saying the US couldn't remove the country from its terrorist list "until we see a clear signal from the North Koreans that they are going to do their part with regards to the declaration."

3 March 2008: North Korea's KCNA news agency quoted a Foreign Ministry spokesman as saying that US-South Korean war games that started on the weekend "show that the United States continues to pursue its hostile policy of squeezing our republic to death," and warned that they would "put the brakes on the denuclearisation process on the Korean peninsula." The New York Times reported that the criticism "dampened hopes for warmer ties between the United States and North Korea," though US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said he still hopes for resumption of six-party talks: "If we can resolve these matters in the next few weeks, which I think is possible, I think we could depending on the views of the Chinese host, get together for a 6-party meeting to plan the next phase."

29 February 2008: US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said he might go to Beijing on the weekend to meet his North Korean counterpart, Kim Kye-gwan, for talks on North Korea's nuclear programme.

27 February 2008: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice travelled to Tokyo "seeking Japanese help in pressing North Korea to abandon nuclear weapons." After her meetings with Japanese officials, including Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, Rice said "we have had constructive discussions here today and those will add to our ability to perhaps build some momentum toward the completion of the second phase." She instructed Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill to remain in Beijing to to study the ideas discussed yesterday by Rice and Chinese President Hu Jintao on overcoming the impasse of North Korea's nuclear programme.

26 February 2008: US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Chinese President Hu Jintao met in Beijing to discuss "several new ideas on how to overcome the current stalemate" over North Korea's nuclear programme. Rice said that US and Chinese officials were looking at ways to "synchronize" the actions North Korea must take to meet its obligations, and the benefits it is to receive for those measures. She said, "We are the cusp of something very special here."

20 February 2008: Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, the US envoy on the North Korean nuclear issue, met in Beijing with Kim Kye-gwan, who leads the North Korean negotiating team. Mr. Hill said that they had “a good, substantial discussion” but that there was no breakthrough. According to Hill, Kim Kye-gwan continued to deny North Korea had a clandestine programme to develop highly enriched uranium.

13 February 2008: South Korean nuclear envoy Chun Yung-woo said it will take time to move the deadlocked North Korea nuclear talks forward because Pyongyang must "change its previous claims" regarding uranium enrichment in order for it to submit a full declaration of its nuclear facilities as is required by the October agreement. Speaking at the one-year anniversary of the disarmament deal reached in February 2007, Chun said eight of 11 measures that North Korea promised to take to disable its nuclear facilities have been completed, adding that it would take more than a year to reactivate the plants when disablement is completed.

2 February 2008: The US State Department's top Korea expert, Sung Kim, visited North Korea and pressed its foreign ministry officials to provide the full declaration of its nuclear programme. He did not recieve the list. The North's official Korean Central News Agency said separately that "issues of concern" in implementing the denuclearisation pact were raised.

1 February 2008: Chun Yung-woo, Seoul's top nuclear negotiator, said the nuclear dismantlement program that the United States led with regard to the former Soviet Union - the Cooperative Threat Reduction programme - can apply to North Korea. Chun argued the programme could be modified and adapted to North Korea, citing the need for 5,000 North Korean nuclear scientists to become involved in the denuclearization of North Korea. As part of the program, he suggested peaceful use of the land occupied by the Yongbyon nuclear complex, such as using it for a uranium refinery, in an "environmentally friendly way." He expected such a transformation to create jobs for North Koreans. He also proposed the establishment of a nuclear research center in Pyongyang, where South Korean experts can conduct their research.

Commenting on the provision of a light-water reactor to North Korea, Chun said it will not be made until the last stage of denuclearization and the return of North Korea to the nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty. He indicated that construction of the reactor will take six or seven years. He also said North Korea has completed eight out of eleven measures for disabling nuclear facilities in Yongbyon and the rest will be finished after the nuclear fuel rods are all removed.

28 January 2008: South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon said six-party talks will likely not make any progress for the time being. Also on 28 January, North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency rebuked Jay Lefkowitz, US envoy on North Korean human rights, saying, "Lefkowitz was impudent enough to poke his nose into the nuclear issue, only to bring shame to himself.''

27 January 2008: A "diplomatic source" revealed that North Korea has reduced the number of nuclear fuel rods being removed from the nuclear facility at Yongbyon to about 30 a day, down from about 80 a day. The source indicated the slowdown could extend the removal timetable from the agreed February deadline to early April. More than 1,000 fuel rods, or over one-eighth of the total, have been discharged so far, according to the source. North Korean officials indicated earlier this month it would slow down disablement work in Yongbyon, complaining that the other participants in the six-party process have not fulfilled their commitments quickly enough. Shipments of heavy fuel oil to North Korea began in summer, but a batch due from Russia in November reached the country only this week due to technical difficulties. Delivery of energy-linked equipment and material - which are part of the energy aid - has only been partially made, also due to technical difficulties, diplomats involved in the six-party process said.

22 January 2008: North Korea's official newspaper Minju Joson said in a commentary that the United States failed to fulfill its promise to remove Pyongyang from US terrorism and trade blacklists by the end of 2007 as agreed. The commentary said, "Under this situation, it is pretty evident that we cannot carry out our commitments unilaterally. ... If the U.S. truly intends to move the Korean peninsula denuclearization forward, all it should do is be sincere about its own commitments."

Also on 22 January, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rebuked Lefkowitz for criticizing Six-Party Talks. She said he "doesn't know what's going on in the six-party talks, and he certainly has no say on what American policy will be in the six-party talks."

18 January 2008: US State Department Spokesperson Sean McCormack said that Lefkowitz, who criticized the Six-Party Talks, "is not ... somebody who speaks authoritatively about the six-party talks. ...his comments certainly don't represent the views of the Administration. We believe that the six-party talks provides a forum, a mechanism and an opportunity to realize the goal of a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. So I can only say that he must have been expressing his own opinions when he was speaking about his assessment of the six-party talks."

17 January 2008: Jay Lefkowitz, US Special Envoy for Human Rights in North Korea, claimed that the Bush administration was reviewing its support for the Six Party talks, announcing, “It is appropriate now to reevaluate – to look at what has worked and what has not.” He believes "North Korea is not serious in disarming in a timely manner," and argued in his speech that "It is increasingly clear that North Korea will remain in its present nuclear status when the (Bush) administration leaves office in one year." He also criticized China and the outgoing Roh Moo-hyun administration in South Korea for "preferring the status quo over a process of change".

14 January 2008: Jeffrey Lewis of ArmsControlWonk.com has posted some important information about the delay in North Korea's nuclear disablement process, pointing out that "all of the disablement steps are believed completed save for the unloading of fuel, which was delayed by the need to ready the cooling pond to receive the spent fuel and is on schedule to be completed in 100 days."

11 January 2008: US envoy Christopher Hill met with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov discuss recent developments regarding the deal with North Korea. Ahead of the meeting, an unidentified Russian diplomat was quoted by Itar-Tass news agency as saying, "Christopher Hill has already visited four countries participating in the six-party process. It is very interesting for us to learn his point of view. On the missed deadline, the diplomat said, "Moscow is not going to dramatize the situation. The six-party process can both accelerate and slow down." After the meeting, Losyukov expressed frustration with the speed of the process, saying, "We are unanimous in our regret at the slow movement we have within the process, but at the same time we recognise that this is a very difficult and bumpy road which we have to go along."

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Hill commented on North Korea's failure to deliver a complete declaration so far, saying, "They are obliged to give a complete and correct declaration, a declaration which would cover all their nuclear materials, all their nuclear facilities and all their nuclear programmes and any nuclear cooperation they have with anyone." He also said none of the countries party to the deal has seen the final declaration.

10 January 2008: US envoy Christopher Hill said the new deadline for North Korea to dismantle its Yongbyon reactor and submit a declaration of all nuclear facilities and programs is the end of February. He believes the entire denuclearization process in North Korea can be completed within 2008.

7 January 2008: Christopher Hill emphasized the need for patience and perseverance with North Korea, saying, "They were prepared to give a declaration which wasn't going to be complete and correct, and we felt that it was better for them to give us a complete one even if it's going to be a late one ... We understand that this is always a difficult process, one that is rarely completed on time. So I think we have to have a little sense of patience and perseverance." Hill said he was prepared to move forward in the nuclear negotiations, but not without a "complete and correct declaration" from Pyongyang.

Hill rejected the claim that North Korean officials had already submitted its declaration. And a spokesman for South Korea's Foreign Ministry said Pyongyang had not handed the list to China, which chairs the six-party talks, saying, "As far as we know, there was a consultation between North Korea and the United States about the nuclear declaration but we have not heard of North Korea submitting the list."

4 January 2008: A North Korean Foreign Ministry spokesperson said the government submitted its declaration of all its nuclear facilities. The spokesperson said the declaration was drawn up in November, and that the Foreign Ministry has "notified the United States of it." He also said that North Korea has conducted "enough discussions" with US officials, after they demanded more negotiations on its draft declaration. He further said, "As far as the nuclear declaration on which wrong opinion is being built up by some quarters is concerned, the DPRK has done what it should do."

In response, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said North Korea has not yet provided a complete nuclear declaration.

North Korean officials have said the government slowed the pace of disablement because aid was not coming as quickly as it expected, and because the US did not remove North Korea from its terrorism list. In response to the US' suspicions of North Korea having a uranium enrichment programme, the spokesperson said, "When the U.S. side raised 'suspicion' about uranium enrichment, the DPRK (North Korea) allowed it to visit some military facilities in which imported aluminium tubes were used as an exception and offered its samples ..., clarifying with sincerity that the controversial aluminium tubes had nothing to do with the uranium enrichment." He further said, "We still hold hope that the Oct. 3 agreement will be implemented smoothly if all countries participating in the six-party talks make sincere efforts based on the principle of action-for-action."

A separate report from North Korea on 4 January reportedly said, "(We) will further strengthen our war deterrent capabilities in response to U.S. attempts to initiate nuclear war."

3 January 2008: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu described North Korea's failure to meet the year-end-deadline to disclose its nuclear facilities as natural. Speaking to a news conference, she said, "The pace is faster in some areas and slower in some areas. This is natural ... We believe the comprehensive implementation of actions will open broader prospects for the six-party talks." Meanwhile, in Washington, US State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States was eager to see North Korea's declaration, but added that Pyongyang should "not sacrifice completeness and accuracy for speed." US negotiator Christopher Hill will leave tomorrow for meetings in Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, and Moscow to discuss efforts to help North Korea fulfill its commitments. He is not scheduled to travel to Pyongyang or meet with North Korean negotiators.

1 January 2008: North Korea missed the end-of-2007 deadline to disable and then dismantle its main Yongbyon nuclear reactor and present a list of all its nuclear programmes, in return for economic aid and political concessions from the international community. The governments of South Korea, Japan, and the United States said it was unfortunate North Korea missed the deadline, and urged it to meet its commitments as soon as possible. Experts say the deal reached in February 2007 would not necessarily be jeapordized by the delay, saying it was caused by a dispute that has arisen over North Korea's alleged uranium enrichment activities (see 21 December 2007 entry).

21 December 2007: US scientists reportedly found traces of enriched uranium on smelted aluminium tubing from North Korea, which has persistently denied it had engaged in a uranium-based nuclear programme. The US government is insisting the tubes are evidence that North Korea had a clandestine uranium weapons programme, because they could be used as outer casings for centrifuges needed to process uranium gas into weapons fuel. However, the Washington Post pointed out the traces also could have come from exposure to other equipment or people exposed to both sets of equipment, citing former UN weapons inspector David Albright. For example, Pakistan has acknowledged providing North Korea with a sample centrifuge kit so the tubes could have picked up enriched uranium from Pakistani equipment: "Albright ... said the equipment did not need to be in the same room but could have picked up the uranium traces from a person who was exposed to both sets of equipment. He said that several Energy Department laboratories have highly sophisticated methods of detecting the nuclear material from items that had been thoroughly decontaminated. 'There is a real art in extracting enriched uranium from samples,' Albright said. The labs can detect micrograms of enriched uranium, which he said is 'way beyond what any normal radiation detector would pick up.' However, he said, such minute quantities could easily have come from other sources."

20 December 2007: The president-elect of South Korea, Lee Myung-Bak, said in his first news conference since elections that full economic cooperation with North Korea would only begin after Pyongyang dismantled its nuclear weapons.

19 December 2007: Sung Kim, the US State Department's top Korea expert, headed to North Korea to review work on the disablement of its main nuclear complex. He is to inspect the North's plutonium-making reactor at Yongbyon, and meet officials to move forward international disarmament talks.

18 December 2007: China's top nuclear envoy, Wu Dawei, inspected disablement work at North Korea's nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, and reported the process if "going on smoothly". Meanwhile, an official at the South Korean Foreign Ministry "said nuclear experts began transferring irradiated fuel rods from the plutonium-making reactor in Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang, to water pools late last week — a key step in disabling the facility."

Apparently, the time required to safely remove the fuel rods from the reactor means the year-end deadline for disablement is likely to be missed. The South Korean official said that process is expected to be completed by mid-March, while he hopes 10 other disablement measures would meet their year-end deadline. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang has not commented directly on the probable missed deadline, but said talks have made positive progress and that the parties involved "shall overcome difficulties."

14 December 2007: A US official said that in Kim Jong-Il's response to Bush's letter, North Korea would live up to its obligations under a deal to abandon its nuclear arms programs and expects Washington to keep its end of the bargain.

13 December 2007: Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said the US and China are pressing North Korea to meet a 31 December deadline to fully disclose its nuclear weapons programs, stating, "We understand that the North Koreans are today continuing to work on a declaration ... We are hopeful that we would have the complete declaration provided around the year end." Hill also said the US expects "additional discussions" later in December, without elaborating.

12 December 2007: Officials from North Korea and five negotiating partners held talks in Beijing to discuss the provision of energy aid to North Korea in return for denuclearisation. According to AFP, "Chun Yung-Woo, South Korea's head delegate to the nuclear disarmament talks, told Yonhap news agency earlier that the meeting would focus on assistance other than heavy fuel oil and which country would provide what kind of aid." The report went on to explain:

But an unnamed Japanese official told Kyodo news agency late Wednesday that no specific provisions had been agreed upon by the parties, although North Korea opined it should be given aid "at a steady pace" since it had started the denuclearisation process.

"There was a certain level of progress, but we have not reached a point where the list is finalised," the official was quoted as saying. "That will be coordinated through diplomatic channels."

Under an October agreement, North Korea is to disable its key nuclear plants at Yongbyon and disclose all its nuclear programmes by the end of the year in exchange for 950,000 tons of heavy fuel oil or equivalent aid.

It began disabling the Yongbyon plants early last month and China and the United States took turns each to provide 50,000 tons of heavy oil. Russia has reportedly offered to make the next shipment.

Seoul sent 50,000 tons in July when the North first shut down the Yongbyon reactor.

Meanwhile, North and South Korea began three days of talks on new projects designed to increase economic cooperation between the two countries. Bloomberg reported, "Delegations from the two countries will discuss military guarantees for telecommunications services and customs checks for projects including the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, South Korea's Defense Ministry said in a statement. They also plan to discuss a joint fishing ground in the Yellow Sea, which has been delayed by disputes over the maritime border between the two countries."

7 December 2007: US envoy to North Korea Christopher Hill said disablement of North Korea's nuclear facilities is on schedule and that the removal of fuel from Yongbyon facility is under way. 31 December is the deadline for North Korea to present a full list of its nuclear facilities; skepticism seems high that the deadline will be met, but Hill said, "I do believe they can have a draft produced before the end of the year." Hill said work to disable North Korea's Yongbyon nuclear plant "are moving quite on schedule," and thatworkers are cleaning up contaminants before discharging the fuel from the reactor, considered a key disabling step: "As I understand, all the equipment is in and the cleanup is almost ... completed or soon to be completed. So I think we can expect discharging of fuel to get under way very soon if it has not gotten under way now."

Hill also delivered a letter from US President George Bush to North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il, which offered "the prospect of normalised relations if the North abandons all of its nuclear weapons programmes." The letter is the first direct contact between George Bush and Kim Jong-Il.

Meanwhile, Arms Control Wonk takes a look at the possibilities of verifying North Korea's stocks of plutonium.

4 December 2007: The top US negotiator for North Korea's nuclear programme, Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, visited the Yongbyon reactor. Hill met with North Korean Foreign Minister Pak Ui Chun. They were expected to discuss a timetable for North Korea's presentation of a full list of its nuclear facilities, though no details of the meeting have yet been released. Mr Hill has stressed that it must be a comprehensive list and include details of North Korea's suspected secret programme to build uranium-enriched bombs.

4 December 2007: Six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programme, which were anticipated to take place 6-8 December, have been delayed. South Korean Foreign Ministry spokesman Cho Hee-yong told reporters there did not appear to be enough time this week to arrange the meeting. He did not offer further details. The next session of the talks "would likely outline steps to start taking apart the North's nuclear weapons facilities, and the rewards Pyongyang would receive for compliance."

29 November 2007: US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said he expects North Korea to release a full list of its nuclear weapons programs, materials, and facilities "within days". Hill said work on disabling the Yongbyon complex had been "very successful". US experts are supervising the disabling, including the removal of 8000 spent fuel rods, an interim measure before the facilities are dismantled.

11 October 2007: US nuclear experts went to North Korea for talks on disabling the North's main nuclear reactor. They are to draw up a specific plan for the Yongbyon disablement process, and subsequent teams of experts are to assist in carrying out the technical aspects.

3 October 2007: The Six-Parties released a joint statement in which North Korea pledged to complete the disablement of its plutonium-production facilities and provide a full accounting of its nuclear programs by the end of 2007.

24 September 2007: On Friday China announced that the six-nation talks, which were postponed last week, will resume in Beijing on Thursday, September 27. On Friday and Saturday, a delegation from Syria met with North Korean officials in Pyongyang including Choe Tae Bok, the head of the Workers' Party, and Kim Yong Nam, the titular head of state and leader of the legislature. The meeting has fueled speculation about suspected Syrian-DPRK nuclear collaboration, though both countries deny the charge.

19 September 2007: China reported Tuesday that it had delivered a shipment of heavy fuel oil to North Korea as part of an international effort to keep negotiations on dismantling North Korean nuclear programs on track, but said no date had been set for the next round of talks. South Korean media have reported that North Korea wants to delay the meeting because it is busy preparing for an Oct. 2-4 summit between Kim Jong Il and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyon.

17 September 2007: China has postponed the six-party talks that had been expected to begin on Wednesday according to a Japanese Ministry official. China gave no reason for the postponement and gave no new date for the start of talks, the official said.

12 September 2007: North Korea has given full access to experts from the United States, Russia and China on a rare visit to the reclusive nation to examine ways to disable its nuclear weapons program, the State Department said Wednesday. North Korea agreed at a recent bilateral meeting in Geneva to declare and disable its nuclear facilities by the end of the year.

12 September 2007: The top U.S. envoy to South Korea said Wednesday that he believes a summit between President George W. Bush and North Korean leader Kim Jong-il can take place next year if the North scraps all of its nuclear programs, according to reports.

11 September 2007: The US ambassador verified that the US has provided more than 2 million dollars for UN nuclear monitoring in North Korea. The IAEA's policy-making board of governors had on July 9 granted its chief Mohammed ElBaradei 1.7 million euros (2.3 million dollars) in 2007 and 2.2 million euros in 2008 for "monitoring and verification activities" in North Korea.

10 September 2007: South Korea wants North Korea to complete the dismantling of its nuclear weapons as early as mid- 2008, South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator said. The biggest challenge is to work out the elimination of fissile materials, including the existing plutonium, as well as the explosive devices,'' Chun Yung Woo told a seminar in Seoul today. This should be completed ``before the end of 2008, hopefully by the summer of 2008.'

10 September 2007: A team of US officials and nuclear experts have entered North Korea to survey Pyongyang's nuclear facilities in cooperation with Russian and Chinese experts. These inspections are expected to "set the stage for the next phase of disabling" said the head of the US delegation, Sung Kim.

5 September 2007: North Korea is closer to being removed from the US state sponsors of terrorism list following commitments to end its nuclear weapons program, a US official said. US nuclear envoy Christopher Hill told the North Koreans at a Geneva meeting at the weekend that there were only a few more issues that needed to be resolved before Pyongyang's removal from the blacklist.

4 September 2007: In Mongolia's capital Ulan Bator, North Korea and Japan began talks to normalize their diplomatic relations. Officials discussed both North Korea's nuclear program as well as its past abductions of Japanese citizens. Both issues are critical to the restoration of relations between the two states.

28 August 2007: Japan and North Korea will hold talks next week in Ulan Bator to discuss the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two states, as part of a six-country deal to end Pyongyang's nuclear program in exchange for diplomatic relations and aid. The two states held similar talks in Hanoi in March of this year, but those talks stalled over the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by North Korean agents in the 1970s and 80s.

27 August 2007: The US State Department will engage in bilateral meetings with North Korea in Geneva on September 1 and 2 towards improving relations between the two states.

23 August 2007: The United States asked North Korea to disable three nuclear reactors at the Yongbyon site. The US told North Korea that the finalization of North Korea's declaration of its nuclear program and the disabling of its nuclear facilities should take place in parallel.

19 August 2007: The United States and North Korea will likely hold talks in Geneva later this month, to normalize ties between the two states.

8 August 2007: North Korea proposed that aid negotiated in the 6-party talks include "investment aid" not only "consumption aid" such as the heavy fuel oil previously discussed. " Investment-based aid is that which helps continued production of energy, such as by mending power stations," South Korea's deputy nuclear negotiator Lim Sung-nam told reporters.

On 7 August 2007, working-level talks began between North and South Korea, the US, China, Russia, and Japan to "iron out the details of an aid-for-disarmament deal with North Korea." North Korea has received 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil provided by Seoul in return for the shutdown of its sole operating nuclear reactor last month, and is to eventually get further energy or other aid equivalent to 950,000 tons of heavy fuel oil in return for irreversibly disabling the reactor and declaring all nuclear programs.

On 5 August 2007, China announced it will offer 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil to North Korea this month under the second phase of an aid-for-disarmament nuclear agreement on the communist state. South Korea's Yonhap news agency quoted an unnamed diplomatic source as saying the planned Chinese aid would be the main agenda for a six-nation energy working group meeting to open here this week.

On 31 July 2007, the leader of the IAEA team of inspectors in North Korea, Adel Tolba, reported that North Korea has cooperated fully with the team, who monitored the shutdown and sealing of the country's sole plutonium-producing reactor in Yongbyon.

On 29 July 2007, North Korea's new foreign minister reaffirmed his country's commitment to ending its nuclear weapons program. Meanwhile, zix-nation working-group talks on energy aid to North Korea were slated for next month. They will likely be held at Panmunjom, a village on the inter-Korean border. The six nations agreed to hold a series of working-group talks to implement a Feb. 13 agreement, which calls for the North to dismantle its nuclear weapons program in return for energy aid and other benefits. South Korea is to host working-group talks on the energy aid.

On 26 July 2007, a second team of IAEA inspectors left for North Korea to monitor the shutdown and sealing of the country's sole plutonium-producing reactor. The six-member International Atomic Energy Agency team left Vienna for Beijing on Thursday evening, and the IAEA said it would arrive in Pyongyang on Saturday. The experts are replacing an initial team that went to North Korea on July 12 to supervise the shutdown of the Yongbyon reactor, the key component of the North's nuclear program. Officials said the team would put agency seals on parts of the complex that have been closed and supervise the installation of surveillance cameras, whose recordings will be regularly downloaded and analyzed.

On 21 July 2007, North Korea's nuclear negotiator stated that his country should be provided with light-water nuclear reactors to offset energy supply reductions caused by the proposed closure of the Yongbyon nuclear facilities.  It is difficult to develop weapons grade nuclear material in a light-water reactor, whereas the current reactor at Yongbyon can produce such materials with relative facility.

On 20 July 2007, the current round of six-party talks to end North Korea's nuclear weapons program came to a close.  Focus will now be shifted to technical wrangling over disarmament steps, envoys said on Friday as they endorsed a broad plan lacking any deadline.  In September, fresh six-way talks are expected to "work out the road map" for implementing disarmament steps, the Chinese envoy Wu said.

On 17 July 2007, negotiators for six-party talks gathered in Beijing, expecting to resume discussions tomorrow about "how to scrap the Yongbyon complex ahead of North Korea's eventual abandonment of nuclear weapons. Under the February agreement, the next steps should include North Korea making an inventory of its nuclear arsenal in return for an easing of economic curbs, the normalisation of diplomatic relations, and its removal from the US list of nations viewed as sponsoring terrorism. The end goal is its complete nuclear disarmament."

On 16 July 2007, the IAEA confirmed that North Korea has shut down its only operating nuclear reactor at Yongbyon.

On 11 July 2007, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said an IAEA inspections team is to be deployed to North Korea by the end of the week to monitor the shut down of the country's main nuclear reactor at Yongbyon. This will be the first team invited back to North Korea since U.N. inspectors were expelled there in late 2002 after accusations Pyongyang had violated previous international nuclear agreements. Pyongyang agreed it would begin the shutdown of Yongbyon as soon as it receives a 50,000 ton shipment of fuel oil from South Korea.

South Korean Foreign Minister Song Min-soon said Wednesday the shipment is due to arrive in the North Saturday.

The fuel shipment is part of a five-nation agreement reached in February with North Korea to dismantle all nuclear programs in exchange for energy aid and diplomatic incentives.

On 10 July 2007, the US announced it expects six-party talks to resume in Bejing around July 18.

On 16 June 2007, North Korea invited IAEA inspectors to visit and discuss shutting down the Yongbyon nuclear reactor.

On 12 June 2007, the New York Times reported progress on a deal over North Korea's $25 million in frozen funds, with Russia and the Federal Reserve Bank of New York acting as intermediaries in the transfer.

On 17 April 2007, satellite images have detected unusual activity at the Yongbyon nuclear reactor, raising hope that North Korea still intends to comply with the February disarmament deal.

On 13 April 2007, North Korea said it is waiting to confirm whether funds frozen in a Macau bank account have been released. The US announced the freeze had been lifted earlier in the week but North Korea has yet to withdraw any funds.  The deadline for North Korea to shut down its nuclear reactor is Saturday, but it is unlikely that deadline will be met.

On 11 April 2007, US delegation chief Bill Richardson said North Korean officials have assured him they would invite back UN nuclear inspectors as soon as they had access to the funds frozen in Banco Delta Asia. The funds are expected to be released Wednesday or Thursday.

On 3 April 2007, the United States and North Korea began planning to hold bilateral talks as soon as a financial dispute is resolved to lay the groundwork for a resumption of six-nation nuclear negotiations.

On 27 March 2007, Colin McAskill, spokesman for North Korea's Daedong bank, said his bank's owners oppose mandatory money transfers from accounts in Banco Delta Asia to any other bank. Daedong is among several North Korean banks whose accounts in Macao's Banco Delta Asia have been frozen at the request of the United States over counterfeiting and money laundering accusations against North Korea since September.  North Korea has refused to return to six-party talks until $25 million of its funds frozen at Banco Delta Asia are released.

On 23 March 2007, six-party talks ended without further progress, though diplomats hope to hold another round of talks soon.

On 22 March 2007, talks continued to stall.

On 21 March 2007, North Korea continued to boycott meetings on denuclearization at the six-party talks, waiting for the funds to be released from Banco Delta Asia.

On 20 March 2007, North Korean negotiators boycotted a meeting at the six-party talks.  Japanese envoy Kenichiro Sasae said it appears the North delegates were staying away until until it is able to access the $25m that was frozen in a Macau bank, which the US promised would be transfered to another bank in China. Meanwhile, Kim Kye-gwan, North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, said his country will resume its membership in the International Atomic Energy Agency soon after it shuts down its nuclear facilities as agreed upon in the February agreement.

On 19 March 2007, a new round of six-party talks began.

On 18 March 2007, the US said it has resolved the bank dispute between North Korea and the US, announcing that $25m of North Korean funds, which were frozen in a Macau bank amid money laundering allegations, would be transferred to an account in Beijing.

On 15 March 2007, North Korea confirmed that it is preparing to shut down its nuclear facilities. North Korea also reiterated its intention to allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to verify that action. Meanwhile, the US offered North Korea power generators for civilian use during working group discussions in Beijing. South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Chun Yung-woo, who chairs the energy working group, said that the US will also participate in an initial energy aid program to provide 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil to the North in return for Pyongyang’s shutdown of nuclear facilities. South Korea also said it will provide North Korea with energy equivalent to 50,000 tonnes of fuel oil in exchange for its taking initial denuclearisation steps. South Korea will also begin sending North Korea fertilizer later in March.

On 14 March 2007, IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei said North Korea seems committed to the February disarmament agreement but wants sanctions against it lifted first. ElBaradei said his visit had been "quite useful" and had opened the way to a normal relationship. He said North Korea was positive about returning to IAEA membership.

On 13 March 2007, IAEA chief ElBaradei arrived in North Korea for talks over dismantling North Korea's nuclear programme.

On 9 March 2007, North Korean Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan said the US must lift sanctions against his country before it will shut down its nuclear reactor: "The United States promised to resolve the problem of sanctions against our country within 30 days. If this promise is kept, then we will shut down our nuclear facilities in 60 days."

On 8 March 2007, talks between Japan and North Korea on normalizing relations ended after only 45 minutes, leaving wide gaps as their top envoys blamed each other for the lack of agreement on key historical issues. No date was immediately announced for more talks.

On 6 March 2007, the United States and North Korea wrapped up historic talks on establishing diplomatic ties on an optimistic note, but the United States wants Pyongyang to "come clean" about any uranium enrichment program and eliminate all nuclear weapons before normalizing relations. In addition, North Korea invited IAEA inspectors back to the country; Director General Mohamed ElBaradei is due to travel to North Korea on March 13 for a two-day visit, during which he intends to discuss the details of monitoring the freeze of the country's nuclear programme and the eventual dismantling of its nuclear facilities.

On 5 March 2007, the United States and North Korea began talks on normalizing relations. US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill and North Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan met for this first round of talks in New York.

On 2 March 2007, South Korea refused to fully resume aid shipments to North Korea until the communist regime follows through on its disarmament agreement. North Korea reluctantly agreed to put off the aid issue until late April, after the deadline for the communist regime to shut down its main nuclear reactor. Previously, the North demanded more talks this month. However, North and South Korea did agree to resume reunions of families separated by the Korean War.

On 1 March 2007, American officials announced that China and the United States are close to an accord to let North Korea regain some of the $25 million in its funds frozen in a bank in Macao now that it has agreed to start dismantling its nuclear arms program.  Meanwhile, Japan has agreed to hold talks with North Korea on normalizing ties next week, and it plans to take up the dispute over citizens kidnapped by Pyongyang's agents decades ago.

On 27 February 2007, A 50-strong South Korean delegation led by Unification Minister Lee Jae-joung arrived in Pyongyang for talks that were suspended - along with food aid - after North Korea's 2006 weapons tests. "The meeting is to create the future of the Korean people and the hope of the Korean peninsula," Mr Lee told reporters. "We will also focus on normalising the framework of inter-Korean dialogue and discuss ways of establishing a lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula." Joint economic and rail projects are set to be on the agenda, but the main topic of discussion will be the resumption of badly needed food aid.

On 23 February 2007, IAEA Chief Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei accepted an invitation from the DPRK to visit the country for talks in March. Dr. ElBaradei welcomed the visit as an opportunity to discuss "issues of mutual concern" and "work toward the normalization of the relationship between DPRK and the Agency." Meanwhile, North Korea's chief nuclear negotiator Kim Kye Gwan is expected to visit New York early next month to meet his US counterpart Christopher Hill for discussions on follow-up measures to the nuclear accord. He will participate in a working group meeting on normalizing U.S.-North Korea relations, which is one of five set up under the 13 February agreement. Chun Yung-woo, South Korea's chief nuclear negotiator, also said his country plans to arrange the first meeting of a working group on energy and economic assistance for North Korea during the week of March 12. Japan, however, continues to express disappointment with last week's agreementby urging the US, through Vice-President Dick Cheney, to keep on designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. The US is scheduled to remove North Korea's terror-state designation as one of the first-stage conditions of the 13 February agreement.

On 13 February 2007, the fifth round of six-party talks concluded with an agreement for North Korea's nuclear disarmament.  The deal gives North Korea economic, energy, and humanitarian aid in exchange for shutting down its main nuclear reactor, seeks to normalize relations between North Korea and the US and North Korea and Japan. It does not expressly require the North to give up existing weapons or testing now, and the agreement does not spell out how negotiators will resolve issues that have derailed previous pacts. However, the working groups set up under the agreement will meet during the sixth round of the Six-Party Talks on 19 March 2007 to discuss on actions for the next phase.

On 9 February 2007, the United States insisted at bilateral talks in Beijing that North Korea dismantle its key nuclear reactor if it wants to restore diplomatic contacts with Washington. Kim Kye Gwan has been reported as saying that North Korea was ready to halt or freeze its nuclear program and grant UN inspectors access to its nuclear sites if it was provided with $100 million-worth of fuel and could restore diplomatic relations with the U.S. Hill said North Korea must dismantle its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon 100 kilometers (60 miles) north of Pyongyang to stop production of weapons-grade plutonium.

The original resolution plan, which China devised and submitted to the current six-party talks in Beijing, said Yongbyon must be frozen or sealed within two months and North Korea provided with alternative energy sources. Hill said he did not like the word "freeze," making it clear that not all differences had been ironed out. Kim Kye Gwan said the talks inspired cautious optimism.

However, Kenichiro Sasae, Japan's top nuclear envoy, said he did not think there would be an agreement. North Korea has reportedly rejected a U.S. proposal to replace the term "suspension" with the term "dismantling" in relation to the Yongbyon nuclear reactor in a final document of the ongoing phase of the six-party talks.

On 7 February 2007, six-party talks resumed in Beijing. North Korea offered a preliminary pledge to begin eliminating its nuclear weapons program.  China submitted a draft plan that delegates had indicated would detail the beginning steps toward North Korean nuclear disarmament.  The document was expected to include a “set of actions taken in a finite amount of time,” US negotiator Christopher Hill said prior to its release.  He said Pyongyang would be expected to take those actions in a period of “single-digit weeks.”

On 30 January 2007, a second round of talks between US and North Korean officials on US financial sanctions began in Beijing. The first day ended with little sign of progress. China has announced that parallel talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons programs will resume February 8, but Pyongyang has said there will be no progress until the financial sanctions are lifted. In an interview with Reuters, US negotiator Christopher Hill said North Korea's commitment to give up its nuclear weapons was "strong" and Washington would not allow other issues, including a dispute over U.N. Development Programme money, to undercut a nuclear deal.

On 29 January 2007, a source revealed that the United States is considering easing financial restrictions related to Macao's Banco Delta Asia that will lead to the unfreezing of about $13 million in North Korean assets. Meanwhile, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso announced six-nation talks aimed at ending North Korea’s nuclear arms drive are expected to resume on February 8.

On 27 January 2007, North Korea dismissed allegations it is cooperating with Iran in nuclear development, accusing Western media of spreading lies to damage the communist country's reputation. The "assertion is nothing but a sheer lie and fabrication intended to tarnish the image of (North Korea) by charging it with nuclear proliferation," North Korea's Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the North's official Korean Central News Agency.

On 25 January 2007, a day after the US said UN Development Fund (UNDP) money may have been diverted to the North's leaders who used the cash to build nuclear weapons, North Korea accused the US of smear campaign: "The United States is kicking up another anti-DPRK North Korea racket . . . to meet its dirty political aims." Meanwhile, South Korea's foreign minister held phone discussions with his U.S. and Japanese counterparts about the renewal of six-party talks.

On 23 January 2007, the North's nuclear envoy Kim Kye Gwan told his South Korean counterpart that Pyongyang could freeze its nuclear activities if the United States eases its financial restrictions on the impoverished communist country. Kim also said his country was willing to allow inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency to enter the country to confirm whether North Korea halts the operation of a 5-megawatt reactor at the Yongbyon nuclear complex, north of Pyongyang.

On 22 January 2007, Christopher Hill, the US chief negotiator on ending North Korea's nuclear weapons program, said talks could re-start soon, after host China agreed to arrange them as quickly as possible once it consults with the other parties in the six-nation talks.

On 19 January 2007, North Korea's negotiator Kim Kye-gwan said he reached a "certain agreement" with US negotiator Christopher Hill during talks in Berlin.  Although Hill played down the North's announcement, it brightened the prospects that the six-nation nuclear talks would make progress when they resume in Beijing - tentatively scheduled to begin in February. In addition, an anonymous US official told Reuters that the Bush Administration is contemplating releasing part of the $24 million frozen in Banco Delta Asia, once investigation of North Korea's accounts are complete.

On 17 January 2007, lead negotiators from North Korea and the United States met today in Germany to discuss ways to prepare for the next round of negotiations on Pyongyang’s nuclear program. Meanwhile, Russia urged the United States to scrap financial sanctions against North Korea.

On 11 January 2007, South Korea and China agreed to work together for the resumption of six-party talks at an early date.

On 22 December 2007, six-party talks in Beijing recessed after failing to see progress, with Pyongyang vowing to continue with its nuclear weapons development. The parties discussed ways to implement a September 2005 joint statement produced at the end of an earlier round of talks, in which Pyongyang agreed in principle to dismantle its nuclear programs in return for incentives from other participants.

On 18 December 2007, six-party talks resumed in Beijing.

On 7 December 2006, North Korea announced it believes Washington has atomic weapons deployed in South Korea and it will not halt its nuclear program as long as this threat persists.

On 6 December 2006, the United States announced it offered a detailed package of economic and energy assistance in exchange for North Korea’s giving up nuclear weapons and technology. But the offer, made last week during two days of intense talks in Beijing, would hinge on North Korea’s agreeing to begin dismantling some of the equipment it is using to expand its nuclear arsenal, even before returning to negotiations.

On 30 November 2006, the US banned the export of luxury goods to North Korea, as part of US sanctions for the North's nuclear test.

On 22 November 2006, a senior North Korean official said the DPRK does not intend to abandon its nuclear programme when it returns to the six-party talks.

On 31 October 2006, North Korea, China, and the US agreed to resume six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programme.

On 14 October 2006, UN Security Council unanimously adopts Resolution 1718 condemning the claimed nuclear test by the DPRK; demanding that no further nuclear tests or launches of ballistic missiles take place; demanding that DPRK immediately return to the NPT; imposing an embargo of military technology and luxury goods, and more.

On 11 October 2006 North Korea warned that it will regard increased pressure from the United States as a “declaration of war” that will be met with “physical measures,” as Japan announced tough new sanctions against the country and South Korea reported it was ensuring its troops were prepared for atomic war.  Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Washington would not attack North Korea, rejecting a suggestion that Pyongyang may feel it needs nuclear weapons to stave off an Iraq-style U.S. invasion.

On 10 October 2006, the world reacted with anger, fear, and disappointment to the North Korean nuclear weapon test. China accused North Korea of a “brazen” violation of its international commitments.  Japan may seek a growing regional security role.  South Korea warned of a nuclear arms build-up in the region.  The United States proposed newer, tougher UN sanctions on North Korea, calling for a ban on all trading in military goods and services and inspections of of all cargo going in and out of North Korea.  At the United Nations, delegations to the First Committee on Disarmament and International Security strongly denounced the test, and called for renewed six-party talks and the strengthening of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).

On 9 October 2006, the Korean Central News Agency announced "the field of scientific research in the DPRK [Democratic People’s Republic of Korea] successfully conducted an underground nuclear test under secure conditions on October 9, Juche 95 [2006] at a stirring time when all the people of the country are making a great leap forward in the building of a great, prosperous, powerful socialist nation. It has been confirmed that there was no such danger from radioactive emission in the course of the nuclear test, as it was carried out under scientific consideration and careful calculation. The nuclear test was conducted with indigenous wisdom and technology, 100 percent. It marks a historic event as it greatly encouraged and pleased the KPA [Korean People’s Army] and people that have wished to have powerful self-reliant defense capability. It will contribute to defending the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the area around it."

On 4 October 2006, North Korea announced that it plans to conduct an underground nuclear weapon test, prompting warnings from Tokyo to Washignton that it would draw sharp responses and could undermine security in Asia.

On 18 September 2006 Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf claimed in his newly published memoirs that the black market nuclear network operated by former top Pakistani nuclear scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan might have sent advanced nuclear centrifuges to North Korea.

On 18 July 2006 Japan pursues options for further sanctions it can place on North Korea. Initially there was a North Korean trade ferry that was banned from Japanese ports and charter flights from Pyongyang were also halted. Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe expressed additional sanctions as including the "start of procedures to ban cash remittances by Koreans living in Japan who are sympathetic towards Kim Jong-il's government - an important source of foreign currency for North Koreans," BBC News reported.

On 15 July 2006 the U.N. Security Council unanimously adopted resolution 1695. The resolution was a diluted version of the Japanese-sponsored text as it remained stern in language but did not include Chapter Seven of the UN Charter. This was done so that it would not be vetoed by China. The report reiterated key points such as "strongly urging the DPRK to return immediately to the Six-Party Talks without precondition, to work towards the expeditious implementation of 19 September 2006 Joint Statement..." as well as (the Council) requiring "all Member States to prevent the transfer of missile and missile-related items, materials, goods and technology to the DPRK's missile or weapons of mass destruction programmes..." North Korea reacted to this event by denouncing the resolution.

On 12 July 2006 an alternate U.N. Security Council resolution is proposed by China and Russia Reuters reports. The change from the Japanse-sponsored resolution included the text "urges, rather than demands, that Pyongang re-establish a moratorium." The U.N. Security Council continues to hold off on voting as the U.S. and Japan are still not content with the Chinese-Russian stance and China, Russia and South Korea continue to state that the language of the Japanese-sponsored resolution is too severe.

On 11 July 2006 BBC News states that diplomatic measures continue as Christopher Hill, American envoy to North Korea, "is holding talks in Beijing, and a high-level North Korean delegation is in Seoul." There are ongoing efforts to reach a consensus between the nations in the six-party talks. The resolution using Chapter Seven of the UN Charter that Japan is advocating for is being criticized by South Korea, Russia and China. The U.S. and Japan however are calling for a stronger statement so that there is some mechanism of enforcement by issuing a legally binding resolution. A vote continues to be postponed by the U.N. Security Council as to whether or not the resolution will be implemented.

On 10 July 2006 discussion continues as to what an appropriate course of action is to respond to North Korea’s launch of seven missiles. The U.N. Security Council will engage in discussion regarding the Japanese resolution proposed to initiate economic sanctions against North Korea. Although this option is being presented it faces opposition from South Korea, China and Russia. These three in particular believe that imposing economic sanctions against Pyongyang would be too severe.

On 5 July 2006 North Korea launched another missile and an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council was called following this as well as yesterday's events.

On 4 July 2006 North Korea launched six missiles in total including the anticipated long-range missile Taepodong 2. This missile however failed approximately 40 seconds after launch and landed in the Sea of Japan. In addition to the Taepodong 2 the other missiles launched included mostly Scuds.

On 26 June 2006, according to GSN, a study by the Institute for Science and International Security revealed that it is likely that "since 2001 North Korea has increased its fissile material stockpile more than sixfold since U.S. President George W. Bush entered office. The report indicates that Pyongyang has moved from possessing sufficient plutonium for no more than two nuclear weapons to having enough for up to 13. The study also predicts that it could have material for more than 17 bombs by 2009."

On 18 June 2006 U.S. officials assert their opinion that North Korea has finished fueling a long-range missile with the potential of having a range of up to 2,175 to 2,670 miles (3,500 to 4,300 kilometers). This would mean that the supposed Taepodong-2 missile is projected to be able to reach parts of Alaska. Reuters reported that "The New York Times, quoting American officials, reported on its Web site that booster rockets were loaded onto a launch pad and fuel tanks fitted to a missile. This could not be confirmed, but U.S. and other officials have said satellite images show fuel tanks and key components of a missile positioned at the test site."

On 13 April 2006 the U.S. declared that although Pyongyang had threatened to bolster its nuclear capability the U.S. will not let go of its financial sanctions. This measure stems from the U.S. freezing $24 million of Macau's Banco Delta Asia bank's assets after the accusation of money-laundering to North Korea.

On 13 April 2006 BBC News reported that North Korea proposed going back to multilateral talks on the condition that "the US releases assets frozen in a bank in Macau."

On 6 February 2006 the Sankei Shimbun, citing unnamed diplomatic sources in Washington, reported that the United States and North Korea will hold bi-lateral talks late in February to discuss the ongoing dispute over nuclear weapons and financial restrictions. Working level delegates will meet in Washington.

On 6 February 2006 Lee Jong-seok, the South Korean nominee for unification minister, acknowledged the North Korean government as a dictatorship. While the United States, Japan, and the European Union have been outspoken in criticizing North Korea's human rights record, until recently, South Korea has remained quiet on the subject of human rights saying it feels silent diplomacy is the best method.

On 13 December 2005, South Korea and North Korea engaged in regular high-level dialogue, during which “South Korea is expected to make a strong effort to bring North Korea back to the international nuclear dialogue.”

On 11 December 2005, North Korea declared that the six party talks are suspended indefinitely due to the United States’ financial sanctions against the DPRK and the US’ statement that North Korea is a “criminal regime”.

On 7 December 2005, United States Ambassador to South Korea, Alexander Vershbow, announced that economic sanctions imposed on North Korea were a matter of law enforcement, branding North Korea a "criminal regime."

On 6 December 2005, North Korea threatened to boycott further six-party talks unless the US lifts its economic sanctions: "It is impossible to resume the six-party talks under such provocative sanctions applied by the US upon the DPRK," reported Rodong Sinmun, the North's communist party newspaper. AFP reported that "the row over US sanctions imposed on North Korea over alleged money laundering and counterfeiting has emerged as a stumbling block to the six-nation talks." In October, Washington "imposed sanctions on eight North Korean companies it said acted as fronts for the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction." The fifth round of talks is intended to substantiate the agreement reached in September.

On 2 December 2005, the Associated Press reported China's envoy to Seoul, Ambassador Ning Fukui, said, "'three keys' are needed for the North to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, the most important of which is the establishment of mutual trust between the United States and North Korea. The other two priorities are normalizing relations with Japan and improving relations with South Korea." Ning believes if these three conditions are met, North Korea would seriously consider dismantling its nuclear weapons programme. Meanwhile, AP also reported that "U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill said Friday he would not sit still for endless talks with North Korea in an effort to stop its nuclear weapons program." Talks are expected to resume in January.

On 29 November 2005, the North Korean delegation to the North-South military talks issued a statement threatening to cut off inter-military ties with South Korea, accusing the South of allowing U.S. troops to enter border areas controlled by the two Koreas which are used for exchanges and tourism.

On 24 November 2005, IAEA Director General Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei updated the Agency's Board on Implementation of Safeguards in DPRK. Please see Director General ElBaradei's introductory statement to the Board of Governors.

On 17 November 2005, President Bush and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun declared they would not tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea, and affirmed they would push diplomatic efforts to resolve the nuclear dispute with Pyongyang. In his statement during the annual APEC Summit, President Bush stood firm in his insistence that the United States will not agree to provide assistance to North Korea until it has completely halted its nuclear programme. North Korea's most recent position is that it will not agree to dismantle its programme until the United States provides it with a light-water nuclear reactor. President Bush also reiterated his position during meetings with Chinese President Hu Jintao on 19 November 2005.