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thefinalw0rd · **North Korea -** 12-27-02

Quote:

SEOUL, South Korea (Dec. 27) - North Korea ordered the expulsion Friday of U.N. nuclear inspectors and announced it will reactivate a laboratory able to produce weapons-grade plutonium. The U.N. nuclear agency said its investigators were ''staying put'' for now.

The White House denounced Pyongyang's moves, which are certain to escalate tensions over Pyongyang's plan to unfreeze nuclear facilities shut down in a deal with the United States in 1994.

The inspectors were the last means that the International Atomic Energy Agency had to monitor whether the facilities are being used for nuclear weapons projects. Despite IAEA warnings, the North removed monitoring seals and surveillance cameras from the nuclear complex at Yongbyon earlier this week.

In a letter to IAEA head Mohamed ElBaradei, North Korea demanded the inspectors leave ''immediately,'' saying there was there is no justification for them to remain here'' now that the freeze was being lifted. The letter also announced the North's intention to reopen the reprocessing lab.

Pyongyang said in the letter that it had decided to reactivate the Yongbyon complex after the United States canceled a shipment of fuel oil promised in the 1994 agreement - and because President Bush labeled the North part of the ''axis of evil.''

The letter, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, also accused the United States of making the North ''the target for the nuclear pre-emptive strike.''

North Korea claims that it is restarting the reactor to generate badly needed electricity after the United States and its allies cut off oil shipments. The shipments were halted after recent revelations that the North Koreans had been covertly developing nuclear weapons in violation of the 1994 agreement.

In Crawford, Texas, President Bush's spokesman denounced the demand for the inspectors' removal and called on Pyongyang to shut down its nuclear weapons program.

''We will not respond to threats or broken commitments,'' spokesman Scott McClellan said.

The Vienna-based U.N. nuclear watchdog resisted the demand. ''At the moment, our inspectors are staying put. They are on standby,'' IAEA spokeswoman Melissa Fleming said. The IAEA currently has three inspectors in North Korea.

ElBaradei sent a response to North Korea's atomic energy chief, Ri Je Son, demanding the North allow the inspectors to remain and install new seals and surveillance cameras at the site.

''The departure of inspectors would practically bring an end to our ability to monitor (North Korea's) nuclear program or assess its nature. This is one further step away from defusing the crisis,'' ElBaradei said in a statement.

Pyongyang said it was reopening the reprocessing lab to give ''safe storage'' to spent fuel rods that will come from the reactor it plans to restart. The IAEA did not comment on the report on the lab.

The lab can be used to extract weapons-grade plutonium from spent fuel rods. North Korea already has 8,000 spent fuel rods in storage that experts say could yield four or five nuclear weapons within months. The KCNA statement, monitored by South Korea's Yonhap news agency, made no mention of those stockpiled rods.

Meanwhile, the IAEA said the North was moving fresh fuel cells into the 5-kilowatt reactor at Yongbyon. By Friday, about 2,000 new rods had been moved to a storage facility at the site, up from 1,000 a day earlier, spokeswoman Fleming said.

The reactor needs 8,000 rods to be started, Fleming said.

North Korea is one of the more than 185 signatories to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, but it has refused to accept IAEA inspections of its nuclear facilities as required by the treaty.

The IAEA says North Korea is still a treaty member and must accept its inspections, but the North says its signatory status depends on its 1994 nuclear deal with Washington.

South Korea on Friday convened an emergency meeting of its National Security Council to discuss the North's announcement.

Earlier, South Korea's President-elect Roh Moo-hyun said North Korea's defiant attitude could make it difficult for him to continue his predecessor's policy of seeking reconciliation with Pyongyang after he takes office in February.

''Whatever North Korea's rationale is in taking such actions, they are not beneficial to peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in Northeast Asia, nor are they helpful for its own safety and prosperity,'' Roh said in a statement.

North Korea's government has repeatedly called for a nonaggression treaty with the United States, though economic benefits are also a priority for the destitute country.

The North's state media accused Washington on Friday of using the nuclear issue as a pretext for invasion.

The United States ''calls for disarming (North Korea) under the absurd pretext of its nuclear program and then launching a surprise attack on it to overthrow its political system,'' an English-language commentary by the KCNA said.

Shouldn't we be more worried about North Korea than Iraq? N.K. is, so the experts say, only months away from having multiple nuclear warheads! From what we've heard, Iraq isn't even close to that. Isn't North Korea the more imediate threat?

Billy the Kidd · 12-28-02

doncha think its odd that the US is moving its forces into the persian gulf to ready an attack on Iraq while pretty much ignoring N Korea after they kicked UN nuclear inspectors out, admitted to building Nuclear weapons and openly declared thier hatred tfor the United States who will be bitterly defeated?

Sixgun_Symphony · 12-28-02

I can assure you that the USA has not been ignoring N. Korea,

A week ago, it was announced that the USA had placed a "limited SDI" system in Alaska. This is to stop N. Korean missles from reaching the United States.

It is likely that B-2 Stealth Bombers and F117 Stealth Fighters will be used to destroy North Korea's Atomic Weapons as well as their production facilities for more atomic weapons.
That of course will start a conventional war, but US airpower will make all the difference in the Korean peninsula. The big question is China. I think it is likely that they will attack Taiwan while we are busy in Korea.

Iron's Rite · 12-28-02

Well Hooray for World War III!

thefinalw0rd · 12-28-02

Looks to be that way, yes.

Billy the Kidd · 12-28-02

Quote:

Originally posted by Sixgun_Symphony
I can assure you that the USA has not been ignoring N. Korea,

A week ago, it was announced that the USA had placed a "limited SDI" system in Alaska. This is to stop N. Korean missles from reaching the United States.

It is likely that B-2 Stealth Bombers and F117 Stealth Fighters will be used to destroy North Korea's Atomic Weapons as well as their production facilities for more atomic weapons.
That of course will start a conventional war, but US airpower will make all the difference in the Korean peninsula. The big question is China. I think it is likely that they will attack Taiwan while we are busy in Korea.

the attention paid to N Korea is piddly at best, because Bush isd a flaming retard, instead of stopping the real trouble we see nothing but empty vows and promises to destroy Iraq qho can barely wage war let alone get nukes. If anything i wouldnt worry too much about China, each year they become less communist, even the younger populations hate thier government, its only a matter of time now like Cuba before communism there fails as well. But the thing is i dont think they will really go after Taiwan, theyre into business now, and they know doing things like that will seriously risk thier future ventures with the US and Europe who dump loads of cash on China every day.

Oezoem · 12-28-02

clock is ticking..

it's gonna be a blast

thefinalw0rd · 12-29-02

And yes, China, I think, is going to try to coexist with Tawian...for the reasons Billy stated. They're letting Capitilism (sp?) slip in...and it would seriously screw them if they did that.

NK isn't getting the attention that they should, unlike you say Six.

Sixgun_Symphony · 12-29-02

Don't be surprised when the North Korean nukes are destroyed by American Stealth bombers.

This is exactly the sort of mission that the Stealth bombers were designed for.

thefinalw0rd · 12-29-02

Don't be suprised when we don't necessarily know where they are...

Iron's Rite · 12-29-02

How old is he? 10?

thefinalw0rd · 12-29-02

I don't know...the brain and thought development of most die-hard conservatives stops by that age...so its really hard to tell...

Iron's Rite · 12-29-02

I'm not quite happy being more intelligent then the average person, I'm glad I'm intelligent and all. But being in the minority I realize that we're all fucked.

thefinalw0rd · 12-29-02

Yeah...its a bleak picture, isn't it? I wish I could ignore it sometimes...

Iron's Rite · 12-29-02

I've started to care a lot less.

thefinalw0rd · 12-29-02

How? I wish I could shut this out!

Iron's Rite · 12-29-02

Oh. When I say I've started to care a lot less I mean it in the pessimistic sense.
As in I've started to welcome Armeggedon.

thefinalw0rd · 12-29-02

Oh. Nevermind, in that case.

Though when the end comes, you know what I'll be doing...*cough* Yeah, thats right, the cliche...

Iron's Rite · 12-29-02

I don't have anybody, so I think I'll just run around laughing hysterically and sobbing uncontrollably at the same time.
While screaming at the top of my lungs:
"I'm Tetsuo! I'm Tetsuo!"

Iron's Rite · 12-29-02

Quote:

Originally posted by thefinalw0rd
Oh. Nevermind, in that case.

Though when the end comes, you know what I'll be doing...*cough* Yeah, thats right, the cliche...

Have you ever seen: "Dr. Stranglove; Or how I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb."

With any luck we'll be forced underground with a larger population of women, who will inevitably form a matriarchal, feminist society.