On February 13th last year, the US along with four other major powers struck a deal with North Korea under which Pyongyang agreed to halt its nuclear programs in exchange for energy aid.The deal brokered by China required North Korea to seal its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon within 60 days and allow inspections by the IAEA. In return, apart from fuel aid worth about $250 million the US was also to take steps to remove North Korea from its list of States sponsoring terrorism and also to end trade sanctions against the regime which had been imposed for alleged money laundering and counterfeiting activities. Additional fuel aid ,or its monetary equivalent was promised when it permanently disabled its nuclear operations. A December 31st deadline had been set for North Korea to provide a full inventory of its nuclear arms programs.The deal was however not very clear about how the existing nuclear weapons were to be dealt with.
The deal had its critics at that time who argued that North Korea was being rewarded for its bad behavior and that it would also encourage Iran to defy the international community.However the Bush administration was clearly thrilled with it at that time.
The Koreans did not stick to the 60 day deadline for shutting down their nuclear reactor. Reaction from the US was surprisingly mild.Then early in December the US went ahead and announced that North Korea must come clean on any effort to enrich uranium.The US is particularly bothered about this capability which allows production of nuclear weapons without relying on reactors.It is suspected that North Korea has secretly acquired this capability from Pakistan.
South Korea had expressed its doubts at that time that North Korea might not stick to its December 31st deadline.But in its anxiety to see the deal come through it urged the signatories to be more flexible.
These apprehensions have come true now with North Korea missing the deadline.The North for its part has accused the US of delaying promised aid and not removing it from the list of States sponsoring terrorism.But Pyongyang was quick to state that the nuclear deal can be implemented smoothly.Now suddenly on the 4th of January it has issued a warning that it would be strengthening its 'war deterrent' in response to US military modernization and aggression.
North Korea clearly views the US as a nation in an election year and distracted by events in Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. The inability of the US to take any further action against Iran has also encouraged North Korea to violate the agreement.The 'threat' issued January 4th is nothing but a reference to its existing nuclear arsenal, a fact which distinguishes it from Iran.The US has its work cut out for it.North Korea may be a failed State, but it has the bomb, and it will try to extract as much as it can from the US to give it up.