North Korea's Nuclear Program - Report Example

North Koreas Nuclear Program Introduction The North Koreas Nuclear Program has a long history, but mostly dating back to the Korean War, when the USA supported South Korea during the war, and threatened to use nuclear weapons against North Korea1. Since the Korean War, North Korea became increasingly interested in developing a Nuclear Program, seeking help from Russia and China to initiate a nuclear development program, which was initially turned down. Nevertheless, when Russia helped North Korea develop nuclear research center and subsequent nuclear energy use programs, North Korea found an opportunity to start experimenting with the development of nuclear weapons. The UN Security Council has issued several sanctions against North Korea’s Nuclear Program, while the international community has also continuously voiced its opposition for this program, without any success. The international cooperation towards denuclearizing North Korea began in 2003, when the six-party talk consisting of USA, China, South Korea, Japan, Russia and North started a series of cooperative efforts to end the North Korea nuclear weapon development program2. However, all the efforts still proved futile after North Korea defiantly reneged on the promises it had made earlier to stop its nuclear weapon development program, and even pulled out of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)3. Thus, North Korea has continued with its nuclear weapons development program, where its latest nuclear test was done y on 12 February 2013. During the test, an underground seismic disturbance was detected by various global geological systems, only to have North Korea confess that it was undertaking a nuclear test. Thus, the North Koreas Nuclear Program remains a major threat to the global security in modern day. Thus, the threat of the North Korea nuclear weapon development is causing its regional neighbors to start considering the same path, which may prove disastrous for the whole world. History of North Koreas nuclear program The history of North Koreas nuclear program dates back to 1962, when North Korea first committed to focusing on the hyper-militarization of its army, to defend against any possible foreign invasion. Most importantly, North Korea has insisted on developing nuclear weapons as a way of ensuring to defend against the USA and its allies, and also deter against their attack North Korea. Therefore, North Korea first approached the Soviet Union for assistance in the development of its nuclear program, but the Soviet Union declined the request, only agreeing to support North Korea in development its nuclear research center and a nuclear energy use program4. The Soviet Union also agreed to help North Korea in the construction of the Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center as well as in helping North Korea with the training of nuclear scientists in 19635. This resulted in the completion of the research center and the subsequent development and opening of the Yongbyon IRT-2000 research reactor in 19656. The power rating of this reactor was to be advanced further to reach a capacity of 4MW in 1974. Nevertheless, until the late 1970s, North Korea had not been involved in the transformation of the nuclear energy program and research into a program for the development of nuclear weapons. Thus, the nuclear weapon development program for North Korea started in the 1980s, when North Korea transformed its peaceful nuclear energy program into uranium conversion and fabrication7. The period 1980-1985 was the duration during which North Korea was constructing the Yongbyon factory, which was then used to refine uranium for the production of power for the nuclear reactors. This culminated in North Korea signing the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT), although it did not ratify this treaty at first8. During the same period, North Korea was also involved in the construction of its second nuclear reactor completing it in 1986, and the first nuclear weapon was subsequently produced by North Korea in 1989, in form of a nuclear bomb9. This realization by the USA and the international community that North Korea had produced a nuclear weapon resulted in the request by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect North Korea’s nuclear programs, which North Korea declined, only agreeing to the inspection in 199210. However, even with the consent to the inspection, North Korea did not disclose its full extent of nuclear programs, and blocked the IAEA inspectors from inspecting some of its nuclear waste sites, creating a confrontation with the inspectors that resulted in North Korea threatening to quit the NPT. Consequently, the USA ad North Korea signed the ‘Agreed Framework’, requiring North Korea to end its nuclear weapon development program and dismantle its existing nuclear facilities, in return for the USA constructing two nuclear light-water energy plants for North Korea11. However, North Korea still refused to declare the full extent its nuclear weapon programs, only agreeing to confess to a secret nuclear weapon program during its talks with the USA in2002. Consequently, North Korea refused to open its nuclear facilities for inspection on December 4 2002, and this resulted in the declaration that the agreed framework between the USA and North Korea was officially dead12. Subsequently, North Korea once again announced its withdrawal from the Nuclear Proliferation Treaty and expelled the IAEA inspectors, only to admit to having a nuclear weapon program in 2005, and declare that it was willing to close its nuclear program13. However, North Korea went ahead to undertake a series of nuclear tests in 2006, against the warning and condemnation of the international community and the UN Security Council. This resulted in the 2007 international nuclear conference in 2007, during which North Korea stated that it was preparing to close its major nuclear facility through the six-party agreement. Thus, in July of the same year, IAEA confirmed the closure of the Yongbyon nuclear reactor, which was a condition for North Korea to continue its normalization talks with USA and Japan, and continue receiving oil and economic aid14. Nevertheless, North Korea conducted a missile test in 2009, causing the aid and the normalization talk to be halted once again. North Korea continued with its nuclear programs until in February 2012, when it stated its willingness to halt its program in return for productive negotiations with the USA, causing the USA to agree to ship food aid to North Korea15. However, in April 2012, North Korea conducted another missile test, forcing the USA to stop the food aid. Subsequently, North Korea has continued its threat of nuclear attacks against South Korea, Japan and USA in the period following the 2012 missile tests, culminating in the last nuclear test by North Korea that was undertaken on 12 February 201316. In this respect, the history of the North Koreas Nuclear Program is long, although the actual threat of the country being capable of launching nuclear weapon attacks became eminent in 1998, when it fired a missile test over Japan17. The subsequent nuclear activities of North Korea have continued to indicate that the country is increasingly advancing in its nuclear weapon programs, starting with the 2006 North Korea nuclear underground test18. This has been followed by a series of similar tests and confirmation of the North Korean government that it indeed holds nuclear weapons. The second underground nuclear test conducted by North Korea in 2009 proved that its nuclear weapon were of a reasonable high capacity, estimated at between 2-7 kilotons for the second underground nuclear test, compared to the first in 2006, which was estimated at between 0.2-1 kilotons19. This is a confirmation that the North Koreas Nuclear Program is a potential threat to the global security, as well as a potential political and security risk for its regional neighbors such as South Korea, Japan and China. United States perspectives of the North Koreas Nuclear Program The United States perspective of the North Koreas Nuclear Program is that the program is a major threat to the global peace, as well as to the political stability of the Asian region. The USA has perceived the consistent pursuing of the North Koreas Nuclear Program as an affront to the international community, most especially due to the fact that North Korea has been pursuing this program in total disregard of the warnings, sanctions and condemnations of the international community. Most especially, the USA perspective of the North Korea’s launch of the Taepodong-1 missile over Japan in 1998 is that North Korea is not a threat to the global peace and regional stability of Asia only, but also a willing party to the destruction of the global system of peace20. Consequently, the USA has declared North Korea as a hostile nation towards the global peace, although it is still adapting the strategic patience approach as the means of resolving the North Korea nuclear program conflict. This has seen the current USA administration hold a series of direct talks with North Korea between 2011 and 2012. This is a way of trying to resolve the nuclear crisis without resulting into much damage that might not affect the USA and North Korea only, but also the whole world, on the event that a nuclear war is to break between the nations. However, the patience strategy adopted by the USA does not seem to be effective in causing North Korea to return to the path of denuclearization, owing to the fact that even after the series of talks that were held between July 2011 and February 2012, North Korea still went ahead and mocked the action through launching another nuclear test on February 201321. The USA has thus been pushing for stronger sanctions against North Korea, following its violation of the last UN Security Council resolutions that prohibited North Korea from launching any ballistic missile. The USA has taken offense from the consistent claim that North Korea has been making, that it is has the right to pursue its nuclear programs, as well as undertake nuclear tests, since it is a sovereign state. This argument is what the USA has perceived as an affront to the international community commitment to responsible nuclear use, as well as peaceful nuclear programs development that is provided for under the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT)22. Therefore, the USA perceives the continued pursuit of the North Korea’s nuclear program as a provocation on the USA to act and attack North Korea, which will in turn use the Nuclear weapons against the USA its allies in the North East Asian region, such as South Korea and Japan. It is due to this perspective held by the USA, that the USA has decided to apply the patience strategy as the best response to the North Korea Nuclear program, until a peaceful resolution of the tension and crisis arising from this program is resolved. South Korea’s perspectives of the North Koreas Nuclear Program The South Korea’s perspective of the North Koreas Nuclear Program is a resolute opposition to the continued development and pursuit of the program. South Korea has vehemently opposed the continued pursuit of the North Koreas Nuclear Program, holding that it is a threat to the peace and stability of the Korean peninsula23. Thus, South Korea has held that it is time the North Koreas Nuclear Program is stopped24. In a joint diplomatic meeting that was held between the President of Chaina and the President of South Korea, the President of South Korea stated categorically that South Korea was resolutely opposed to the North Koreas Nuclear Program pursued by North Korea, and went ahead to state that it is time that the denuclearization of North Korea is achieved25. South Korea holds that the continued pursuit of the nuclear program by North Korea, in total disregard of the concerns of the international community as well as the resolution of the UN Security Council and the six-party agreement is increasing tension in the Korean peninsula. Thus, South Korea holds the perspective that it is time the North Koreas Nuclear Program is stopped, or the country would be forced to pursue the nuclear weapon development route. China’s perspective of the North Koreas Nuclear Program China’s perspective of the North Koreas Nuclear Program is similar to that of South Korea, and thus China is resolutely opposed to the nuclear program being pursued by North Korea, since it is a threat to the peace and stability of the Asian region26. The Chinese nuclear experts have held that the threat posed by the North Koreas Nuclear Program is greater than it might have been previously though. The Chinese nuclear experts have assessed the threat posed by North Korea through its nuclear program, and concluded that the country might be possessing 20 nuclear warheads by 2015, and the number could be doubled based on the nuclear capacity held by the country27. China holds the perspective that for as long North Korea continues to pursue its nuclear program, the tension in the Korean peninsula and in the whole of North East Asia continues to rise. This in turn threatens the peace and stability of the region, and is forcing the Korean peninsula countries to start considering taking an alternative action, which might entail developing their own nuclear weapon capacity28. Thus, China is of the opinion that it is time the solution the North Koreas Nuclear Program is sought, before it results to a nuclear weapon development race in the Korean peninsula. How United States, South Korea and China should act on this matter The threat posed by the North Koreas Nuclear Program both to the North East Asian region and to the global peace and stability is real29. Therefore, a decisive action requires being taken by the United States, South Korea and China, in addressing this issue, before it becomes a major crisis that would be too costly for the whole world to intervene. Therefore, adapting an international community resolution on the North Korean nuclear program crisis is the best approach that the three countries can take. The strategy should be for the three countries to rally behind the six-party states as well as the whole of the international community towards adapting negotiations that would lead to the denuclearization of North Korea. The persistence of the North Korean nuclear program has been the result of having only certain countries trying to respond and address the problem of the nuclear weapon development caused by North Korea. Therefore, the inclusion of the whole global community in seeking a solution for the problem posed by North Korea and its nuclear program to the global peace and security can be effective in deterring North Korea. This is because the global alliance against North Korea can cause a serious isolation that might cause North Korea to rethink its policies30. Considering the development of nuclear weapon capacity for South Korea and China, as well as the other neighbors, can be considered a solution to the problem31. The only limitation associated with this alternative is that it will increase tension and threaten peace and stability in the region, which will spill over to the whole world. Thus, the best solution to the problem is an international cooperative negotiation and sanctions towards North Korea. Bibliography 1. Guidetti Abel. World Views : Negotiating the North Korean Nuclear Issue, 47 p. 2. Bolton, Derek. North Korea’s Nuclear Program. American security project (August 2012) pp1-5. 3. Richard Stone, “North Korea’s Nuclear Shell Game”, Science, New Series, Vol. 303, No. 5657(Jan. 23, 2004), pp. 452-454 4. Victor Cha and David C. Kang, Nuclear North Korea (New York Columbia University Press, 2003), p. 29 5. Hymans, “ Jacques E.C. Hymans “Assessing North Korean Intentions And Capacities: A New Approach”, Journal Of East Asian Studies 8(2008), p. 259-292 6. Bechtol, Bruce E. Defiant Failed State: The North Korean Threat to International Security (Washington, D.C.: Potomac Books, 2010). 7. Smith, Hazel. Reconstituting Korean Security: A Policy Primer (Tokyo: United Nations University Press, 2007). 8. Rosen, Armin. How North Korea Built Its Nuclear Program. The Atlantic (Apr 10, 2013). http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/04/how-north-korea-built-its-nuclear-program/274830/ (Accessed April 24, 2015). 9. Cumings, Bruce. Creating Korean Insecurity: The US Role (New York: United Nations University Press, 2007). 10. BBC. China and South Korea oppose North Korea nuclear tests. BBC News (3 July 2014). http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-28139972 (Accessed April 24, 2015). 11. Wade L. Huntley “U.S. Policy toward North Korea in a Strategic Context: Tempting Goliath’s Fate”, Asian Survey, Vol. 47, No. 3(May-June 2007), pp.455-480 12. Moon, Chung-in. The Sunshine Policy: In Defense of Engagement As a Path to Peace in Korea. (Seoul, Korea: Yonsei University Press, 2012). Read More