North Korea Goes Back On The List
It was quite surprising on Monday to learn that North Korea (the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, DPRK) was put back on the United States’ list of State Sponsored Terrorism by President Trump. But it was surprising for only ONE reason, namely: What the HELL was the DPRK doing OFF that list in the first place??!!
North Korea was put ON the list of State Sponsored Terrorism in 1988 by President Ronald Reagan, joining Libya, Iraq, South Yemen and Syria. The United States had evidence that DPRK was reponsible for the 1987 bombing of a South Korean Air passenger jet killing all 115 on board, as well evidence of numerous other acts of terrorism. How could it POSSIBLY BE that North Korea had been taken off the list? How could we have given a “pass” to a regime that routinely tortures and murders its own citizens, as well as one that abducts Japanese and South Korean CIVILIANS in their HOME COUNTRIES (for ransom or to be trained as spies*), and murders members of its own “royal family”** A regime that in 1994 allowed THREE MILLION of its own people to STARVE to death***??!! A regime that has pursued nuclear weapons when its nuclear armament program was prohibited by international law and condemned by the United Nations?
The answer lies in the duplicity and cunning of Pyongyang as well as the naiveté and gullibility of our State Department.
Recall that in 1994 Bill Clinton was duped into signing a costly agreement with the DPRK called the “Agreed Framework.” This agreement called for the US to build two non weapons reactors (so called “light water reactors”) FOR the DPRK and provide them with 500,000 tons of conventional fuel per year until the reactors were complete. The Korean part of the deal was that they would keep the Yongbyon reactor (which did produce weapons grade plutonium for nuclear weapons) shut down. Although the Yongbyon reactor was indeed kept shuttered, Pyongyang CONTINUED enriching their uranium stockpiles using other enrichment techniques. US intelligence proved this fact and the US stopped both reactor construction and conventional fuel deliveries, and retained DPRK’s terror designation.
After formally cancelling the “Agreed Framework” the Bush administration was also duped. In 2008, at the urging of Condoleezza Rice (supported by then Senator Barack Obama), George W. Bush took the DRRK off the terror list as an “olive branch” to foster further negotiations that would, hopefully, welcome the DPRK into the the “happy family” of nations.
Despite the good intentions of all involved (Clinton, Bush, Rice and Obama) this “happy family” unification never took place. Pyongyang continued nuclear weapon development at fever pitch, and we now find ourselves faced with a DPRK that indeed remains a State Sponsor of terror, and represents the greatest threat of nuclear conflict since the Cuban missile in October of 1962. As Sarah Palin used to say: “How’d that work out for you?”
*As hard as it is to believe, the allegations that DPRK has kidnapped civilians from Japan and South Korea are true. This despicable practice was discussed at length by President Trump and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on November 6th and was included in their joint press conference in Tokyo on that same day. If you’d like more information on this hard to believe story, see the article by Becky Sullivan, Jake Adelstein, and Mari Yamamoto from National Public Radio. It was posted on their website on November 6, 2017 and can be found at www.npr.org
**Kim Jong-Un ordered the execution of his uncle Jang Song-Thaek in December of 2013. He also ordered the execution of his half brother Kim Jong-Nam in a chemical attack which occurred in the Kuala Lumpur on Feb 20, 2017. These assassinations are described in an article posted by Sky News (United Kingdom) on February 20, 2017 and be found at www.skynews.com
***As amazing as it is to consider mass starvation in this day and age, it is clear that Kim Jung-Il allowed the fatal starvation of THREE MILLION North Koreans in 1994. See an article by Jordan Weissman posted in The Atlantic on Dec 20, 2011 and can be found at www.theatlantic.com