A Nuclear-Free North Korea
"Our first and highest priority is ensuring the verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said U.S. Secretary of State Cond
"Our first and highest priority is ensuring the verifiabledenuclearization of the Korean Peninsula," said U.S. Secretary of StateCondoleezza Rice. The choice facing North Korea is veryclear. If the government continues to violate international law anddestabilize the region by pursuing a nuclear weapons program, the othermembers of the Six-Party talks -- China, Japan, Russia, South Korea,and the U.S. -- will lead international efforts to further isolateNorth Korea. On the other hand, if the North Korean governmentverifiably abandons all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs,it stands to gain humanitarian and development aid, non-nuclear energyassistance, and a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula. Therehas been some limited progress on North Korean denuclearization. Basedon a 2007 agreement, North Korea, after initially only freezing theprogram, is currently disabling its three core nuclear facilities atYongbyon. U.S. and International Atomic Energy Agency personnel are onthe ground monitoring the work. As the denuclearization ofNorth Korea moves forward, verification will continue to be a seriouschallenge. "We will not just trust North Korea," said Secretary Rice,"to fulfill its commitments. Rather, we are insisting on verification,including on-site access to facilities and sites in North Korea." "Evenas we work toward denuclearization," said Secretary of StateCondoleezza Rice, "we will continue to press the North Korean regime toimprove the lives of its people": "We have helped to resettlerefugees fleeing lives of repression and misery in North Korea. Wehave raised the issue of human rights. We have helped to facilitatetalks between Japan and North Korean concerning the tragic cases ofJapanese abductees. The United States will never be silent in oursupport for human rights. The non-negotiable demands of human dignityare not bargaining chips." North Korea's nuclear weapons programdeveloped over decades. It is a danger to the region and to theworld. The best way to put North Korea out of the nuclear weaponsbusiness and to pursue respect for human rights is by working togetherwith Japan, South Korean, China, and Russia.