Yesterday, I brought the story of the North Korean nuclear program up to May of 2013 and what is known as the North Korean Crisis. North Korea had just declared war on South Korea and was hurling threats at the U.S. and Japan too.
In June of 2013 N.K. refused the Chinese demand that they stop testing nuclear weapons. N.K. agreed to reopen talks with South Korea on the Kaesong Industrial Region (KIR) but then cancelled the talks in a disagreement over the delegate list. The Chinese President came to the U.S. to talk with the U.S. President about the N.K. situation. N.K. proposed high-level talks with the U.S. to end the crisis. China and N.K. proposed a restart of the six party talks. The U.S. President extended a state of emergency regarding N.K. declared by the previous administration. The U.S. sanctioned the Daedong Credit Bank because it has provided funds for N.K. nuclear weapons development. Russia announced that it would talk to N.K. about the six party talks. Japan pulled back on antimissile deployment and ended the standing order to shoot down N.K. missiles.
In July the N.K. Foreign Minister requested that the U.S. resume bilateral negotiations without any preconditions. N.K. reconnected the hotline between N.K. and S.K. Negotiations were called for to reopen the KIR. The Vice President of China started a visit to N.K. to celebrate the anniversary of the Korean War and to rebuild the China-N.K. relationship. S.K. makes an offer about reopening the KIR and encourages N.K. to accept the offer.
In August N.K. rescinded its ban on industrial operations at KIR. S.K. and N.K. sign a plan to restart KIR operations. N.K. called for a "new start" to the relationship between the two Koreas. In September a S.K. ministry issued a press release stating the there would be a test of KIR operations in mid-September. The N.K. Crisis seemed to be drawing to a close.
In October hostilities flared again. N.K. mobilized its army and threatened the U.S. with a "horrible disaster." Then N.K. warned that there could be "retaliatory strikes" and an "all out war of justice" against the U.S. U.S. military exercises on the peninsula were called "nuclear blackmail." N.K. prepared to launched more test missiles. S.K. leaflets dropped over N.K. prompted N.K. to threaten attacks. In November N.K. threatened the U.S., Japan and S.K. with a "nuclear catastrophe if S.K. "provocations" continued. U.S. intelligent sources reported that there has been new construction at the N.K. missile launching site to allow the handling of larger missiles.
In December Kim Jong-Un's uncle of the N.K. dictator, who was the number two man in the N.K. government was purged in what has been seen as consolidation of power in the hands of the new leader, Kim Jong-un. So we have returned to the familiar situation of confusion over the intentions and future of N.K. in the community of nations.
North Korean missile site:
