North Korea Study Panic
What is the DPRK? How and when was it founded?
DPRK- Democratic People's Republic of Korea (former name of North Korea) Founded in 1948 Founded when the US and the Soviet Union divided control of korean peninsula after WW2
October 21, 1994
Deal Freezes Pyongyang's Nuclear Program The United States and North Korea sign the Agreed Framework [PDF], in which North Korea commits to freezing its illicit plutonium weapons program and halting construction on nuclear reactors, in Geneva. In exchange, the United States pledges to provide sanctions relief, aid, oil, and two light-water reactors for civilian use. Earlier in the year, the CIA assessed that North Korea had produced one or two nuclear weapons.
September 19, 2005
Disarmament Principles Emerge From Talks Despite stalemates at previous rounds of the Six Party Talks, its members agree to a joint declaration in which North Korea commits to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons and to implement IAEA safeguards and the terms of the NPT. As part of the agreement, the United States asserts that it has no intention of attacking North Korea.
What was the root cause for the Korean War?
(Russian influenced) North Korean Forces invaded South korea The US came to the South's aid
What is the 38th parallel?
38th parallel- the boundary between North and South Korea
What is a comfort woman?
A korean woman who provided sexual services to Japanese overlord soldiers when Korea was under the control of Japan
What is juche? Who started this philosophy? How does this philosophy affect other nations and North Koreans?
After the Korean War, Kim Il Sung shaped his country according to the nationalist ideology of "Juche" (self-reliance). The state assumed tight control over the economy, collectivized agricultural land and effectively asserted ownership over all private property. State-controlled media and restrictions on all travel into or out of the country helped preserve the veil of secrecy around North Korea's political and economic operations and maintain its isolation from most of the international community.
How is it that the Korean War never officially ended?
After three years of bitter fighting and more than 2.5 million military and civilian casualties, both sides signed an armistice in the Korean War in July 1953.The agreement left the borders of North and South Korea essentially unchanged, with a heavily guarded demilitarized zone about 2.5 miles wide running roughly along the 38th parallel. A formal peace treaty, however, was never signed.
March, 1995
Allies Found KEDO The United States, Japan, and South Korea establish the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) to implement the 1994 Agreed Framework and oversee the financing and construction of the two light-water reactors. KEDO breaks ground in August 1997.
What is Songun?
Another ideological tenet, songun, or military first, was embedded as a guiding political philosophy in the 1990s, elevating the military above other elements in society.
January, 2001 - April, 2002
Bush Challenges North's Commitment to Deal President George W. Bush takes office in 2001 and pursues a harder line toward Pyongyang, characterizing North Korea, along with Iraq and Iran, as part of an "axis of evil" and imposing new sanctions. In April 2002, Bush states in a memorandum that the United States will not certify North Korea's compliance with the 1994 Agreed Framework, due to a rocket test and missile-related transfers to Iran.
Why is keeping nuclear weapons essential for Kim?
But he must further understand this: Kim sees nuclear weapons as the only effective guarantee of his regime's survival. He will cling to these weapons until he reaches the conclusion that the preservation of the North Korean state, in its current form, no longer depends on this nuclear hedge.
What happened in 2003 that changed the dynamic of Korean relations?
But relations between the two Koreas, and between North Korea and the West, soon deteriorated, due to North Korea's aggressive efforts to become a nuclear power.
What is the physical structure of the NK government (4 bureaus)? What role do each Play?
Chief policymaking comes from the WPK's Central Committee and three subordinate institutions: the Political Bureau, or Politburo; the Control Commission; and the Executive Policy Bureau, which also controls surveillance and appoints top personnel across the party, cabinet, and military. The Central Committee's Organization Guidance Department (OGD) and Propaganda and Agitation Department are among the most influential party agencies. The Central Committee is made up of around twenty departments, ranging from the sciences to agriculture, that link to civilian state and military bodies. The governmental departments submit policy ideas to the respective entities of the party's Central Committee, who then deliberate, tweak, and approve initiatives. The party exercises policy control through this process.
Who is speculated to be the next in line after Kim Jong un? Why is this unusual?
Experts say that in the event of his death or serious illness, the next leader would undoubtedly be a direct Kim family member. The promotion of his younger sister, Kim Yo-jong, and the development of her public profile have raised speculation that she could be in line to be the successor. Other close relatives who could also be involved in a power transition are Kim Sol-song, an older half sister, or Kim's older brother, Kim Jong-chul. Some family members, however, have fallen out of favor, including Kim's uncle Jang, who was married to Kim Kyong-hui, the daughter of Kim Il-sung. Kim Jong-nam, Kim's half brother, was assassinated in February 2017 in Malaysia in an attack suspected to have been carried out by North Korea.
What was Kim Jong un's first action in power?
Fashioning himself as a modern version of his legendary grandfather, Kim Jong Un took steps to consolidate power, ordering the execution of his own uncle and other political and military rivals.
June, 2000
First Inter-Korean Summit South Korean President Kim Dae-jung meets with Kim Jong-il in Pyongyang for the first summit between Korean leaders since the peninsula's division five decades prior. The rapprochement results in a number of joint commercial and cultural projects, including construction of an industrial complex and the reunification of families separated during the war. Following the summit, the United States eases sanctions further, allowing some trade and investment.
What 2 factors drive Kim's focus?
First, he sees a potentially once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with President Trump, who has openly derided the value of the U.S. alliance with South Korea. In Trump, Kim has a sympathetic partner in the White House who held a summit with him against the counsel of his advisers, and agreed to a statement at Singapore, which by all measures was weak and failed to advance the U.S. policy of final, fully verified denuclearization. Trump's tweets and letters calling Kim Jong-un "honorable," hinting at his desire to meet again to "get it done" together—man-to-man, leader-to-leader—and other complimentary statements almost certainly reinforce Kim's belief that his personal appeals and flattery are working. The fact that President Trump had already declared a win on the North Korea issue as a result of the summit—it has also made it into the president's talking points at his rallies—probably demonstrated to Kim that the president is eager, and indeed, invested, in a "win" with North Korea. Second, unlike the conservative Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye administrations, which took a hard line against the Kim regime, Kim Jong-un now has a partner in Seoul with the progressive Moon administration. Since Kim offered an olive branch in his New Year's speech, President Moon has brokered, nurtured, and prodded U.S.-North Korea talks, in large part to empower his push for greater inter-Korean engagement. Kim and Moon have expressed their mutual desire for pan-Korean autonomy in Korean Peninsula affairs and relatively downplaying the nuclear issue.
Who directs the military?
From the outset, the military operated under the direction of the WPK.
How has Kim Jong un redistributed the powers of he military and the power of civilian government departments?
From the outset, the military operated under the direction of the WPK. The military itself has a general political bureau staffed by political commissars who receive instructions from the party's OGD, which are then distributed among the branches of the Korean People's Army (KPA); state security and the national police also have their own political directors. Under Kim Jong-il, the military, or at least individual members of the military, amassed increasing decision-making power, gaining the upper hand over the party. Analysts have described Kim Jong-il's reign as more informal, relying on personal relationships and bypassing the formal bureaucracy.
What are the keys for achieving meaningful progress toward NK denuclearization?
Give Trump his due for what he acknowledged in Singapore: transforming the U.S.-North Korean political relationship and replacing fear with trust and confidence are the keys to achieving meaningful progress toward North Korea's denuclearization.
How does Kim Jong un use the WPK?
He has installed his own top personnel, reinvigorated the Worker's Party of Korea (WPK) as the core political organ, and reclaimed power from elite factions that had been delegated authority in Kim Jong-il's later years.
What are the 2 layers of the agreement between US and NK leaving Singapore?
In Singapore, the two leaders agreed on a vague four-point declaration that was sequenced to prioritize improving bilateral relations first, and then "working toward the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula."
How has the NK moto (of power) changed? What are the state's priorities through this moto?
In a country where rhetoric is significant, Madden says there has been a recent shift in references to North Korea's sources of power: where it used to be "party, army, state," it has become "party, state, army," reflecting a reimagining of priorities. The military's primary responsibility remains safeguarding the security of the nation; yet, the KPA owns a few dozen trading companies and economic sites and is therefore involved in a good portion of the country's economic activity.
Why did Trump think he would have more success in NK than previous presidents?
In justifying his decision, Trump argued that past attempts to dispatch experts to negotiate nuclear disarmament agreements with North Korea had failed, but that he would achieve better results by meeting directly with the decision-maker. Mounting evidence suggests that despite his self-professed dealmaking skills, Trump did not leave the historic summit with the decision he sought.
What does Trump ultimately want? What does Kim want? Why will neither win?
In that kind of negotiating climate, it's magical thinking to aim for getting Kim to surrender his nuclear weapons capability and destroying North Korea's nuclear infrastructure. It certainly won't happen in accordance with America's timelines or preferences, and little progress will be made toward this goal as long as Trump thinks he can talk Kim into unilaterally giving him what he wants — CVID — up front without giving Kim what he wants: An end to what North Korea calls America's "hostile policy"; security assurances; a halt to joint U.S.-South Korea military exercises; withdrawal of U.S. forces from South Korea; normalization of diplomatic relations; sanctions relief; and economic assistance.
How can relying only on CVID by Trump hurt NK relations?
Indeed, the administration's — official Washington's, really — idée fixe with CVID has the effect of crowding out other avenues for reducing the risks of war and holds progress hostage to the most intractable and politically loaded issue. There will come a point in these negotiations, as in all negotiations, where both parties will face each other's non-negotiable bottom lines. For Kim that will almost certainly be maintaining some sort of nuclear insurance policy. But apart from that, Trump and Pompeo likely don't know yet what his best offer is, and it would therefore be unwise to contemplate short-circuiting the negotiating process.
Who is the founding father of NK?
Kim Il-sung was the founding father of North Korea, where he ruled from 1948 until his death in 1994. He was succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-il, who served for seventeen years until a fatal heart attack in late 2011. Leadership then passed to Kim Jong-il's twenty-eight-year-old son, Kim Jong-un, in 2012, and while there was speculation over his ability to maintain regime stability, he has swiftly consolidated his power.
April 27, 2018
Kim Makes Historic Visit South Kim becomes the first North Korean leader to cross the border south for a summit with South Korea's Moon Jae-in at the truce village of Panmunjom. The summit marks the first meeting between the heads of the Koreas in eleven years. The two pledge to convert the armistice that ended the hostilities of the Korean War into a formal peace treaty. They also confirmed the shared goal of achieving a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula.
How did Kim Jong un continue to damage the relations with the West?
Kim's government also continued to work on its nuclear arsenal, further damaging his nation's relations with the West. In 2013, a third nuclear test resulted in trade and travel sanctions from the UN Security Council, as well as a formal protest from North Korea's only major ally and main trading partner, China.
June 12, 2018
Kim, Trump Pledge New Era of Relations In an about-face, Kim and Trump hold a historic meeting in Singapore, where they signal a desire to change the U.S.-North Korea relationship. The two leaders sign a joint statement pledging to pursue lasting peace and complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, although the declaration provides few details. They also commit to recovering the remains of U.S. soldiers who fought in the Korean War. Separately, Trump says he would suspend U.S.-South Korea military exercises and Kim agrees to destroy a missile-engine test site.
January, 1992
Koreas Agree to Denuclearize Peninsula The governments of North and South Korea agree [PDF] to "not test, manufacture, produce, receive, possess, store, deploy, or use nuclear weapons," as well as ban nuclear reprocessing and uranium enrichment facilities. The treaty also commits the two Koreas to use nuclear energy only for peaceful purposes.
September 18 - 20, 2018
Moon, Kim Hail Progress Toward Nuclear-Free Korea In the third summit between Kim and Moon, this time in Pyongyang, the leaders sign a joint declaration outlining steps toward reducing tensions, expanding inter-Korean exchanges and cooperation, and achieving denuclearization. It states that the North will permanently shut down the Dongchang-ri missile test site, allow international inspectors into North Korea, and dismantle its nuclear site pending "corresponding measures" by the United States. An accompanying military declaration outlines steps to curtail ground exercises, establish no-fly and no-sail zones under the jurisdiction of inter-Korean bodies, and transform the demilitarized zone into a peace zone. The two sides also pledge to strengthen economic cooperation.
How does instability and unpredictability help Kim Jong un?
Nevertheless, "investigations and purges create upheaval in the system," says Michael Madden, the founder of North Korea Leadership Watch, a blog focused on leadership and political culture in North Korea. Creating this sense of instability and unpredictability for elites is one of the levers that allows Kim Jong-un to maintain his hold on power.
June, 2008
North Korea Declares Nuclear Sites Pyongyang declares its fifteen nuclear sites to Beijing, the chair of the Six Party Talks, stating that it had thirty kilograms of plutonium and used two kilograms in its 2006 nuclear test. In turn, Bush rescinds some restrictions on trade with North Korea, announces plans to take the country off the list of state sponsors of terrorism, and waives some sanctions. In October, the U.S. State Department announces a preliminary agreement with North Korea on verifications. However, by December, discussions break down because of disagreements on verification procedures.
December, 2011
North Korea Heralds New Leader Kim Jong-il dies after seventeen years in power and is succeeded by his son Kim Jong-un. The not-yet-thirty-year-old Kim is relatively unknown, and foreign observers anticipate a political struggle until he begins to assert power.
September 13, 1999
North Korea Imposes Missile Moratorium North Korea agrees to suspend testing of long-range missiles following talks with the United States; in exchange, the United States eases economic sanctions for the first time since the beginning of the Korean War in 1950.
December, 1985
North Korea Joins Nonproliferation Regime North Korea ratifies the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), a multilateral agreement whose dozens of signatories have committed to halting the spread of nuclear weapons and technology and promoting peaceful cooperation on nuclear energy. North Korea built its first nuclear facilities in the early 1980s.
November, 2010
North Korea Reveals Uranium Plant Pyongyang reveals its new centrifuge for uranium enrichment [PDF], which was built secretively and swiftly, as well as a light-water reactor under construction, suggesting that despite sanctions, the regime is committed to advancing its weapons program. The news comes amid escalating tensions on the Korean Peninsula after forty-six South Koreans were killed when a patrol ship, the Cheonan, was torpedoed and then sank in March. The South blames North Korea for the attack and cuts economic ties. The North denies its involvement and later fires artillery at the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong.
October 9, 2006
North Korea Shocks With First Nuclear Test North Korea carries out an underground nuclear test with an explosion yield estimated around one to two kilotons. In July, North Korea tested seven short-, medium-, and long-range ballistic missiles. These tests prompt the UN Security Council to issue unanimous condemnations and trade sanctions.
March, 1993 - June, 1993
North Korea Threatens NPT Withdrawal Pyongyang rejects inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and announces its intent to leave the NPT. However, the country suspends its withdrawal following talks with U.S. diplomats in New York. Pyongyang agrees to comply with IAEA safeguards, including inspections at seven declared nuclear sites. The first inspections take place in March 1994. June, 1994 Carter Visits North Korea Amid escalating tensions on the peninsula, Jimmy Carter becomes the first former U.S. president to visit North Korea, where he meets with Kim Il-sung, the country's founder. Carter's trip paves the way for a bilateral deal between the United States and North Korea. Kim dies weeks later and is succeeded by his son, Kim Jong-il.
What is the political structure of NK?
North Korea has been ruled by one of the world's longest-running dynastic dictatorships. Three generations of the Kim family have ruled with absolute authority, using heavy repression and a system of patronage that ensures support from elites and the military.
What was the "sunshine policy"? What was the result?
North Korea's economic woes let up a bit due to improved relations with South Korea, which adopted a "sunshine policy" of unconditional aid towards its northern neighbor in the early 2000s.Around the same time, North Korea came closer than ever before to forging peace with the United States, even hosting U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright in Pyongyang in 2000.
February, 2013 - December, 2016
North's Nuclear Program Advances Despite Isolation Diplomacy stalls for several years as the Obama administration opts for "strategic patience," in which the United States and its partners ratchet up sanctions in hopes that the regime will return to the negotiating table. Meanwhile, North Korea carries out nuclear tests in February 2013 and again in January and September 2016. Its ballistic missile capabilities improve, with more tests of short-, medium-, and long-range missiles carried out under Kim Jong-un than under his father and grandfather combined.
October, 2007
Nuclear Diplomacy Inches Forward After the United States releases the $25 million in frozen North Korean funds in June, the Six Party Talks resume. Its participants issue a joint statement outlining the North's commitment to declare all of its nuclear programs, disable its facilities, and stop the export of nuclear material and technology. In exchange, the North is to receive nine hundred thousand tons of oil and the United States pledges to remove the country from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.
February 29, 2012
Nuclear Operations Briefly Suspended Following a meeting between the United States and North Korea in Beijing, North Korea commits to suspend its uranium enrichment operations in Yongbyon, invite IAEA monitors, and carry out a moratorium on long-range missile and nuclear testing. In exchange, the United States is to provide tons of food aid. The deal falls apart after North Korea launches a rocket and displays road-mobile intercontinental ballistic missiles at a military parade.
January, 2009 - December, 2009
Obama Attempts Diplomatic Restart President Barack Obama takes office signaling a willingness to revive the Six Party Talks, but these efforts are initially rebuffed by North Korea, which launches a rocket believed to be a modified version of its long-range ballistic missile. It also ejects international monitors from its nuclear facilities in April and the following month tests a second nuclear device, which carries a yield of two to eight kilotons. In December, Obama administration officials hold their first bilateral meetings with their North Korean counterparts.
What are the 3 tactics to Kim's rule?
The latest supreme leader, Kim Jong-un, appears to have deftly handled his early years at the top through reshuffling party and military structures and accelerating a buildup of nuclear and missile capabilities. As North Korea seeks to grow its economy and open up to the outside world, experts say Kim's relationship with elites could be tested and will be crucial to the regime's survival.
What are 3 important realities going into NK negotiations?
Preoccupation with CVID counterproductively plays into Trump's penchant for the grand gesture and ignores a few realities: First, American troops on the peninsula, our naval presence in the region and our nuclear umbrella are already an effective deterrent, one that's worked for years and will continue to work in the future — we don't want war, but neither does Kim. Second, depending on concessions, and an agreement on effective verification measures (much like the now-scrapped Iran deal), North Korea's nuclear and missile capabilities and programs can be capped and reduced. Third, improved North-South political and economic relations and a more normal U.S.-North Korea relationship will give Kim a greater sense of security and at some future point might encourage him to believe that he doesn't need a nuclear shield to safeguard North Korean security, and himself.''
January, 2017 - November, 2017
President Trump Ratchets up Rhetoric President Donald J. Trump is inaugurated in January 2017 and shifts course in U.S. policy toward North Korea. In September, Pyongyang conducts its sixth nuclear test, which it claims is a hydrogen bomb and raises international alarm due to the yield of its explosion. Trump redesignates North Korea a state sponsor of terrorism in November. U.S.-North Korean relations during Trump's first year are volatile as Pyongyang boasts it can reach U.S. soil with nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missiles and the Trump administration threatens a military strike.
October, 2002 - January, 2003
Pyongyang Exits the NPT Pyongyang admits to running a secret uranium-enrichment program to power nuclear weapons, a violation of the Agreed Framework, the NPT, and agreements between North and South Korea. By December, the country says it will reactivate its nuclear plant in Yongbyon. The following month, North Korea withdraws from the NPT after disrupting IAEA monitoring equipment and expelling inspectors.
Why have nuclear negotiations stalled since Singapore?
Since President Trump met with Kim Jong-un in Singapore on June 12, nuclear negotiations have stalled over what comes first: the end-of-war declaration or denuclearization. Pyongyang has claimed that it has shown good faith by halting nuclear and missile tests, blowing up the entrance to the Punggye-ri nuclear test site, starting to dismantle a missile testing facility, and returning some of the U.S. prisoner-of-war remains, even as reports suggest that North Korea continues to advance its nuclear weapons capabilities. Subsequent revelations indicated that President Trump privately promised Kim that he would soon sign a peace declaration, explaining Kim Jong-un's frustration and his refusal to meet with Pompeo on his last trip. In recent days, the White House announced that it is planning for another Trump-Kim summit.
February 13, 2007
Six Party Members Agree to Action Plan North Korea commits to halting operations at its Yongbyon nuclear facilities in exchange for fifty thousand tons of oil. The deal is part of an action plan agreed to by the Six Party members to implement the September 2005 statement.
August 9, 2003
Six Party Talks Open Amid an increasingly tense climate, South and North Korea, China, Japan, Russia, and the United States launch a diplomatic initiative known as the Six Party Talks. There are no breakthroughs during the first round of talks, in Beijing, where North Korea denies having a uranium-enrichment program.
February, 2008
South Korea's New Leader Takes Harder Line Lee Myung-bak is elected president of South Korea. As the leader of a conservative government, Lee shifts from his predecessors' push for reconciliation to exert more pressure on North Korea to denuclearize. He takes office a few months after the second inter-Korean summit, held between the North's Kim Jong-il and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun.
Why must (or should) the US acknowledge NK as a nuclear state? What would this accomplish?
Step one is for the United States to accept the reality, however unpleasant, that North Korea is now a nuclear-armed state. Next is coming to terms with having to tolerate a North Korea with a nuclear arsenal if — if — the U.S., South Korea and North Korea are successful in eventually establishing terms for reconciliation and a comprehensive security regime for the Korean peninsula. And a preoccupation with denuclearization diminishes the real, and realistic, strategic end game: reducing the risk of war between North and South Korea, and the U.S. and North Korea, and creating a more stable Korean Peninsula and northeast Asia.
Who was Syngman Rhee? What did he contribute to Korean relations?
Syngman Rhee- the president of South Korea in 1948, pro american, the Republic of Korea, anti communist Seoul The South Korean/American Side
What made up early NK industry?
Thanks to investment in mining, steel production and other heavy industries, North Korea's civilian and military economy initially outpaced its southern rival. With Soviet backing, Kim built his military into one of the world's strongest, even as many ordinary civilians grew poorer. By the 1980s, however, South Korea's economy boomed, while growth in the north stagnated.
Why does Trump have less leverage post Singapore Summit?
The Administration is now paying a price for its initial demands, its rush to stage last month's summit and the president's initially inflammatory rhetoric. Having hyped the threat of war last year in his heated exchanges with Kim — "locked and loaded" "fire and fury" "Rocket Man" — and later having exaggerated the peace dividend post-Singapore, Mr. Trump is left with reduced leverage; strained ties with North Korea's main patron, China, over trade; a South Korea led by a left-leaning president who believes deeply in the "sunshine" policy of reconciliation and wants a North-South peace deal; and an overall approach to North Korea based on an unrealistic goal. Trump has also created the impression that he's vulnerable to being played by Kim and that he has already given away too much — in particular, the photo-op Kim craved — for almost nothing in return.
How can allowing NK to keep nuclear weapons increase peace in the Koreas?
The administration might, however, get what it needs — peace and security on the Korean peninsula — if Trump is willing to adjust to the reality that America will have to live with a nuclear North Korea; and to find the safest, most secure and least humiliating way to do so. He can accept this outcome while still protecting the security of the U.S. and its allies.
How large is the NK military? How are the numbers broken up?
The military is made up of an estimated 1.2 million active personnel, including two hundred thousand special operations forces, as well as millions more in reserves and paramilitary personnel. From the outset, the military operated under the direction of the WPK.
Why did NK experience such famine in the 1990's?
The new emphasis widened existing inequalities between the military and elite classes and the vast majority of ordinary North Korean citizens.Over the course of the 1990s, widespread flooding, poor agricultural policies and economic mismanagement led to a period of extended famine, with hundreds of thousands of people dying of starvation and many more crippled by malnutrition.
Who was the leading political and economic force in NK under Kim Jong II?
The new leader instituted a new policy of "Songun Chong'chi," or military first, establishing the Korean People's Army as the leading political and economic force in the nation.
What new policy did Kim Jong II bring to NK? How is this different or complimentary to juche?
The new leader instituted a new policy of "Songun Chong'chi," or military first, establishing the Korean People's Army as the leading political and economic force in the nation. Kim Il Sung shaped his country according to the nationalist ideology of "Juche" (self-reliance). The new policy contributes to the juche
How did juche untangle NK from Russian and Chinese influence?
The party, first founded in the late 1940s, initially had strong ties to the Soviet and Chinese ruling Communist Parties, but as Kim Il-sung consolidated his position in the aftermath of the Korean War (1950-1953), the juche state philosophy came to dominate North Korean politics. Juche, translated as self-reliance, emphasizes independence and sovereignty as principles to guide the nation's politics, economy, and defenses. In North Korea, the military, the internal security apparatus, and the cabinet all play a supporting role to enact the party's vision, "the military and the party are fused very closely."
How has Kim Jong un "rebalanced" the military (3 strategies)?
The transition to Kim Jong-un's rule has rebalanced the military-party dynamic again, with the authoritarian leader favoring the regularization and formal institutionalization of the party's levers of power to bring influential factions to heel, particularly within the military. For example, in June 2018, Kim replaced three top military generals: the chief of the military's general staff, Ri Myong-su; the director of the military's political bureau, Kim Jong-gak; and the defense chief, Pak Yong-sik. Analysts say the move reflects Kim Jong-un's push to put in place leaders who are directly loyal to him while removing regents and confidants of his father, such as Ri, tighten the party's hold on the military, and root out corruption
What is CVID?
They have almost no chance of getting what they want, North Korea's complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization, or "CVID."
After 2000 why did tensions increase again between NK and the US/South Korea?
Though Kim Jong Il had pledged to abide by the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) signed in 1995, in the early 2000s reports began to surface of underground nuclear facilities and ongoing research into the production of highly enriched uranium. By 2003, North Korea had withdrawn from the NPT, expelled international weapons inspectors and resumed nuclear research at a facility in Yongbyon. Three years later, Kim's government announced it had carried out its first underground nuclear test.
March, 2018
Trump Agrees to First U.S.-North Korea Summit South Korea's national security advisor announces in Washington that Trump has accepted an invitation to meet with Kim Jong-un in Pyongyang by May. The news comes on the heels of diplomatic overtures between the North and South spurred by the Winter Olympic Games, hosted by South Korea in Pyeongchang.
May 24, 2018
Trump Calls Off Singapore Summit The U.S. president pulls out of the meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong-un, citing "anger and hostility" in North Korea's latest statements. Threats out of Pyongyang had raised doubts about whether the summit would go forward. Still, North Korea had taken some action in recent weeks to demonstrate good faith by releasing three U.S. prisonersand demolishing the nuclear test site at Punggye-ri, where foreign journalists were invited to witness the event.
September 12, 2005
U.S. Freezes North Korean Funds The U.S. Treasury Department designates the Macau-based Banco Delta Asia a primary money laundering concern and freezes $25 million North Korea holds there. These funds will prove to be a sticking point in negotiations between the United States and North Korea.
September, 1991
United States Removes Nukes From South Korea The United States announces it will withdraw roughly one hundred nuclear weapons from South Korea as part of the original Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. The agreement between President George H.W. Bush and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, known as the START treaty, limits the deployment of offensive nuclear weapons abroad.
October, 2000
Washington and Pyongyang Host Goodwill Trips North Korean General Jo Myong-rok meets with U.S. President Bill Clinton in Washington, making Jo the highest-ranking North Korean official to visit the United States. A few weeks later, U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright travels to North Korea to discuss the country's ballistic missile program and missile technology exports. The diplomatic overtures lead to missile talks in November, but Clinton's presidency ends without making additional nuclear or missile deals.
What is a more realistic approach/goal for NK?
With that acknowledgment, the administration needs to decide exactly what price it is willing to pay to achieve the more realistic goal of capping and building down North Korea's nuclear weapons and ballistic missile capabilities and production infrastructure — and that inevitably means asking how far it is prepared to go in providing reliable security guarantees and assisting North Korea with its economic development goals and with sanctions relief.