North Korean workers re-paint a propaganda tower near the truce village of Panmunjom. (AFP/File/Jung Yeon-Je)
Posted on 04/17/2005 4:53:13 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
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Sun Apr 17, 3:06 AM ET
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TOKYO (AFP) - North Korea has halted operations at a nuclear power reactor at the center of an international row, a move that could let Pyongyang reprocess spent fuel to retract plutonium and boost its nuclear arsenal, a press report said.
North Korean workers re-paint a propaganda tower near the truce village of Panmunjom. (AFP/File/Jung Yeon-Je) |
The United States will shortly send Christopher Hill, the assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, to South Korea, Japan and China for talks to cope with the new development in the nuclear stand-off, the Japanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun said.
Washington has verified that operations at the five-megawatt reactor in Yongbyon were suspended in April, the influential daily said in a report from Washington quoting sources including US government officials.
The US administration reached the conclusion by analysing satellite pictures and estimating temperatures on the walls of nuclear facilities and amounts of steam coming from boilers at Yongbyon, north of Pyongyang, the report said.
Pyongyang could double its nuclear arsenal if it reprocesses 8,000 spent nuclear rods from the Yongbyon reactor as it has claimed to have done before.
The controversial reactor was frozen under a 1994 deal with a US-led consortium which promised to provide the Stalinist state with reactors which produce much less weapons-grade plutonium and heavy oil.
But the North reactivated the reactor in late 2002 after Washington accused Pyongyang of going ahead with a separate, secret nuclear weapons programme based on highly enriched uranium.
The new nuclear stand-off has led to six-nation talks involving the two Koreas, China, Russia, the United States and Japan to end the North's nuclear arms ambitions.
Pyongyang has suspended the negotiations, accusing the United States of hostility, and in February declared that it possessed nuclear weapons for self-defense.
Selig Harrison, a senior researcher at the US Center for International Policy, said after visiting Pyongyang earlier this month that North Korean officials suggested they would start reprocessing the spent fuel rods in late April unless the United States promised not to try to topple the regime of Kim Jong-Il.
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 North Koreans dance as they celebrate the 93rd birthday of their national founder, the late Kim Il-sung, at the Kim Il-sung square in Pyongyang on Friday in this picture released by the Korea News Service on April 16, 2005. JAPAN OUT REUTERS/Korea News Service |
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20050417/wl_asia_afp/nkoreanuclearus_050417070610
I would not belittle The President for a second. So figure this out Mister, the President and us are being belittled by those five hundred and thirty five people. I read the Constitution and don't need a lesson or a daddy. Open your eyes and take a good look at what's going on.
Many in S. Korea are schizophrenic. They support Roh but hate its consequence. This reminds me of people who never fail to watch a TV drama they swear they hate.
The result is to escape the situation by emigrating. Mush emotional retards.
As for Ambassador Hong, here is the inside story: In 2003, Roh paid a visit to Hong, and had a quiet chat. Since then, the tone of JoongAng Ilbo has been subtly changing. Now. It completely left the conservative camp. Depending on the issue, it is either center or left now. Roh is also forging alliance with Samsung, to which JoongAng Ilbo is affiliated(Hong is (Samsung Chairman) Lee Keun-hee's in-law.) This way Samsung and its affiliated groups can escape government's "persecution." This seems another way of the emergence of business community's unified front against Roh.
Hong was previously imprisoned under Kim Dae-jung for some tax trouble, which was an attempt to rein on conservative major dailies. He has now become a government mouthpiece. I may understand his motive. However, it is a costly mistake which would haunt him for a long time. It is better for him to quit ambassadorship now than forcing himself to continue. At least that is what I will do if I am in his shoes.
Roh now changed his tactics. He decided to take on a facade of pragmatist, making concessions on his economic agenda. He tries to shore up economy, which would boost his popularity and strengthen his political position. To do that, he distanced himself from some hardcore ideologues, who want to hold on to all lefties agenda and implement them now.
However, he still retains some crucial leftist agenda, pro-North policy and anti-American and anti-Japanese stance. And scouring over records of dead collaborators and their descendants, and rehabilitating communist partisans and communists as nationalists and patriots.
Still I think he is playing fire by keeping undermining S.Korea-U.S. alliance and cozying up with China. He is way over his league. I think he is signing his political death warrant.
Please rephrase the response such that bitter, sarcastic ad hominem attacks and non-specific generalizations are replaced by thoughtful responses to things I wrote or additional commentary on the topic at hand. Thanks.
I meant what I said and I said what I meant. Shove OFF Mister.
Correction:
This seems another way of checking the emergence of business community's unified front against Roh.
Source? Link?
It does not double their arsenal, it allows them to make the bombs so small they can mount them on their long range missiles. It is the final step to full scale Nuclear War and will enable them to nuke our troops in Iraq, and our fleets supplying them.
Yep, last lap...
On the Asia mainland, the guy who controls the food sets the rules.
Thanks TLR -- very illuminating and I agree entirely. I only hope it is political and not national suicide Roh is gambling.
Seems that they are saving it for the last big show before their demise.
On fourth of July, we would always saved the best fireworks (and in most cases, firecrackers!) for the LAST.
Hi, things are suddenly getting busy in E. Asia. Both Koreas, China, and Japan are all into major activities. It appears that China is in danger of backing itself to a corner. If this continues, China may not be able to get out safely because ordinary Chinese could view "getting out" as "selling out" (to Japan.)
He certainly is playing a very dangerous game.
China however appears to be doing well indeed: they are slowing slicing away at two of our main supports, our allies and our access to resources, in particular oil. They apparently are having quite a bit of success at humint, and likely have a well-developed infiltration of Taiwan ready for major sabotage and other dirty work when the invasion begins.
That is why Bush and his crew bring fight right into the Chinese heartland, by adopting freedom offensive. Galvanizing Chinese people against their regime is more powerful than carrier battle group. If necessary, we should be able to fight ideological offensive as our adversaries(communists) used to do.
If President Bush succeeds at that, then I seriously think he will be acclaimed as perhaps our greatest president in terms of foreign policy. Even President Reagan only took on an economically moribund USSR, and whatever else China might be, it certainly is not moribund economically.
As it is, he is doing a fine job of leaving himself a legacy that we can be very proud of in foreign policy.
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