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The Truth About Violations of the North Korea-U.S. Agreement

The United States has been conducting a systematic campaign of disinformation against the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) in order to justify the resumption of hostile actions against that country and to derail the reunification process between the north and south of that nation. Central to this disinformation campaign is the U.S. claim that North Korea has resumed its Heavy Water Reactor program in violation of the DPRK-U.S. Agreed Framework agreement of 1994.

The DPRK-U.S. Agreed Framework was an agreement negotiated in 1994 with the assistance of former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, in which North Korea agreed to phase out its Heavy Water Reactor program in exchange for U.S.-built light water reactors. The Soviet-designed heavy water reactors produce plutonium as a bi-product, while the light water reactors do not. Despite the evidence provided by UN inspectors that only a few grams of the plutonium waste was unaccounted for, the Americans insisted that the North Koreans were actively manufacturing nuclear weapons.

During the 1990s, the North Korean economy was suffering serious problems due to the loss of its Eastern European markets for high-tech products. It had also endured two consecutive years of flooding in its northern regions which had destroyed many of its coal mines, its main source of energy. Severe drought in its agricultural areas further contributed to its economic problems.

As part of the agreement, the DPRK agreed to suspend development of its heavy water reactor program as soon as the Americans completed a Light Water Reactor program capable of generating approximately 2,000 megawatts of electricity. The Americans also agreed to supply North Korea with fuel oil and food aid, as well as to demilitarize the Korean Peninsula and normalize relations with the DPRK.

As a demonstration of their good faith, the North Korean side announced the immediate suspension of its Heavy Water Reactor program, in anticipation that the Americans would complete the light water reactors by the 2003 agreed-upon date. However, the American side has still not delivered on its promises. After eight years, they have only poured the foundations and have pushed back the completion date to at least 2008. A May 2001 report by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) stated that the ongoing delays had placed the DPRK in an untenable position in terms of energy supplies and stated that the DPRK had no option but to resume its Heavy Water Reactor program. At that time, the Americans did not express any concerns, as the DPRK was still operating within the Agreed Framework and had no legal obligation to end its Heavy Water Reactor program until the American Light Water Reactors were commissioned.

Despite the KCNA report, progress also continued on reunification, with the governments of the DPRK and the Republic of Korea (ROK) agreeing on various measures for economic cooperation, including plans to link the rail systems of the two countries, which would provide the ROK with a direct rail link with Europe. The United States expressed its opposition to such a measure, which would greatly reduce South Korean economic dependence on the U.S. However, the government of the ROK paid little heed to the American objections.

In the wake of the events of September 11, 2001 the Bush administration stepped up its rhetoric against various countries it has labelled "rogue states", including the DPRK. President Bush included North Korea as a member of an "axis of evil", along with Iraq and Iran and more recently announced a nuclear first strike policy against the DPRK, in direct violation of the 1994 DPRK-U.S. Agreed Framework which contained provisions for the reduction of tensions between the two countries. The U.S. has at least 1,000 nuclear missiles aimed at North Korea, which according to the International Atomic Energy Agency has no nuclear weapons capability at this time.

The Americans have seized on the "revelation" that North Korea has resumed its Heavy Water Reactor program, a fact reported by KCNA over a year ago, to declare the DPRK in violation of the 1994 DPRK-U.S. Agreed Framework. They have also gone further, claiming that North Korea is developing or has developed nuclear weapons with the assistance of Pakistan, China and Russia. There does not appear to be any evidence to substantiate this claim. However, given the fact that the U.S. not only maintains a nuclear arsenal aimed at North Korea, but has also announced a first strike policy, the Americans are hardly the most appropriate arbiters of who should or should not possess nuclear weapons.