The 1994 Agreed Framework came towards the end of North Korea’s nuclear development and is often considered the United States’ last chance to halt the North’s nuclear program. In exchange for freezing its nuclear weapons program and submit to IAEA inspections, the US agreed to help North Korea resolve the “energy problems” ostensibly driving the North’s pursuit of nuclear energy, first by providing oil and later by constructing tamper-proof nuclear reactors. While the North did temporarily freeze plutonium production and the construction of two new reactors, both sides soon fell through on the deal. While it is difficult to know if North Korea ever truly ceased its operations, it did begin secretly enriching uranium shortly after the agreement and was caught out by intelligence officials under the Bush administration, which opted to void the agreement altogether rather than try to negotiate to save the deal.
* President Lee Jae-myung delivers remarks at the National Planning Committee’s public reporting session. ⓒ Office of the President Il Young Jeong Senior Research Fellow_Institute of Social Science_Sogang University In July 1953, the Korean War reached not an end, but a suspension through the signing of the Armistice Agreement. As a result, the two Koreas established the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ), extending two kilometers from the Military Demarcation Line on both sides. The areas adjacent to the DMZ, referred to as the border region, encompass 15 cities and counties across Gyeonggi-do, Gangwon-do, and Incheon Metropolitan City. These border communities have long borne the frontline pain of division, directly experiencing the consequences of strained inter-Korean relations. During the 21st presidential election, President Lee Jae-myung emphasized the need for “special compensation for special sacrifices” made by border residents. Such recognition is not only justified but overdue,...
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