N. Korea Razes Cooling Tower In Show of Nuclear Accord

Video

Raw Video: North Korea Destroys Reactor Tower

North Korea destroyed the most visible symbol of its nuclear weapons program Friday, according to a news report, a sign of its commitment to stop making plutonium for atomic bombs.

» LAUNCH VIDEO PLAYER

Sanctions Remain

North Korea will remain under wide-ranging sanctions even with the United States lifting restrictions under the Trading With the Enemy Act and removing the country from its terrorism list.

"Any change in this situation will be a long-term process that depends on North Korea changing its behavior and bringing its domestic anti-money-laundering and counterterrorist financing regime into compliance with international standards," said Treasury Department spokesman John Rankin.

For human rights violations, North Korea is prohibited from receiving development assistance and official cultural exchanges.
For proliferation activities, Pyongyang is banned from obtaining U.S. credit, receiving "dual-use" equipment and technology that could be used to develop weapons, exporting to the United States, and obtaining landing rights.
As a communist state, North Korea is banned from non-humanitarian foreign aid.
Due to its nuclear detonation, the North is subject to bans on import and export of items ranging from weapons parts to luxury goods.
Other sanctions prohibit direct loans, credits and insurance and withhold the U.S. proportionate share for international programs for North Korea.

- Robin Wright

Discussion Policy

Comments that include profanity or personal attacks or other inappropriate comments or material will be removed from the site. Additionally, entries that are unsigned or contain "signatures" by someone other than the actual author will be removed. Finally, we will take steps to block users who violate any of our posting standards, terms of use or privacy policies or any other policies governing this site. Please review the full rules governing commentaries and discussions. You are fully responsible for the content that you post.

"From early last fall, we were discussing ways to dissuade people who were suspicious and skeptical," Song said. "That's how we got to talking about the idea of convincing them with the visible effects of demolishing the cooling tower."

South Korea on Friday welcomed the North's action. "We accept the blowing up of the cooling tower to represent North Korea's commitment to the denuclearization, politically and symbolically," said a spokesman for President Lee Myung-bak. The spokesman added that "there are many steps to take in the future."

As for North Korea's motives, analysts in the South Korean capital, Seoul, said Kim agreed to the tower's destruction as a way to speed movement -- before Bush leaves office in January -- on North Korea's goal of diplomatic and economic ties with the United States.

"Kim wanted to keep the momentum going and confirm his seriousness," said Koh Yu-hwan, a professor of North Korean studies at Dongguk University in Seoul. "Looks like Kim realized that this was his ticket to survival, personally and for his government."

Kim reported from Seoul.

< 2

Jobs | Cars | Real Estate | Rentals | Classifieds

SEARCH:

Search Archives

The Washington Post Company: Information and Other Post Co. Websites

Help | Contact Us