North Korea's Nuclear Weapons

What is North Korea’s Nuclear Weapon Program?

Korea has an active nuclear weapons which has tested nuclear explosive devices throughout the 2000s. North Korea’s Nuclear Weapon program started in 1989, at the end of the Cold War when the Soviet Union dissolved. As the Soviet Union dissolved, tension rose between North Korea and the United States, who was allied with South Korea and Japan. North Korea at this time already signed the Non-Proliferation Treaty in 1985, an agreement that prevented the spread nuclear weapons technology to promote disarmament and peace with nuclear energy. Despite this, they began training North Korean scientists and technologists on how to implement a Nuclear Weapon program. In 2002, North Korea’s supreme leader, Kim Jong-Il, decided to withdraw North Korea from the non-proliferation treaty after being accused of running starting a nuclear weapons program. Ever since their withdrawal from the non-proliferation treaty, North Korea’s nuclear weapons program has tested several nuclear explosive devices throughout the 2000s. The UN security council responded to North Korea through sanctions against the program, which includes Resolution 1695, 1718, 1874, 2087, and 2270. The purpose of these sanction resolutions is condemn their nuclear  activity by reducing North Korea’s economic activity and inspect North Korean cargo to seize and dispose all unlawful shipments.

Three of North Korea’s leaders from the Kim dynasty

Throughout the 2000s, North Korea’s line of the Kim family dynasty aims to continue their practice of nuclear weapons. They believe that a nuclear weapons program will secure their country North Korea wants to prove their nuclear capabilities so that that stabilize their country. North Korea tests their nuclear weapons programs within range of South Korea and Japan  to prove that they’re capable of attacking at any time and wiping out the capital cities of South Korea and Japan. The only thing that’s stopping them from launching their nuclear weapons is the United States, who’s protecting Japan and South Korea with the largest ICBM arsenal in the world. North Korea is currently trying to build an ICBM to threaten the United States. If North Korea were to successfully build an ICBM, this could influence South Korea, Japan, and other countries to try to build nuclear weapons of their own, creating a nuclear proliferation. If tensions continue to rise with North Korea, more countries who signed the non-proliferation treaty will be influenced to change their nuclear status. The United States is currently taking action by influencing China to reduce or even cut off their trade relationship with North Korea so that they don’t have the resources to build the ICBM. Tensions still continue to rise between the United States and North Korea as Trump is being pressed to take action to prevent North Korea from improving their nuclear weapons program.

An example of the Nuclear Weapons North Korea possesses

A Historical Timeline of North Korea’s Nuclear Weapon Program

1985: North Korea signs the Non-Proliferation Treaty but doesn’t complete a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)

1993: The International Atomic Energy Agency requires North Korea to give inspectors access to two nuclear weapon storage sites. North Korea then decides to stay signed with the treaty and agrees to the full and impartial application of IAEA safeguards.

1994: North Korea and the United States signs the agreement. North Korea agrees to freeze and dismantle their old graphite-moderated nuclear reactors in order to receive international aid to build two new light-water nuclear reactors. North Korean supreme leader Kim Il Sung dies and is succeeded by his song, King Kim Jong Il.

2002: The Bush administration then discovers that North Korea has admitted to operating a secret nuclear weapons program in violation of the 1994 agreement.

2003: North Korea withdraws from the Non-Proliferation Treaty. . U.S. officials confirm that North Korea has restarted their five-megawatt nuclear reactor that had been frozen by the Agreed Framework.

2005: North Korea agrees to give up their nuclear weapons program in exchange for United States, South Korea, China, Japan, and Russia to provide them with energy assistance and economic cooperation.

2006: The UN security council passes a resolution that demands North Korea to suspend their nuclear weapons program. North Korea then announces to have successfully tested their first nuclear weapon.

2007: North Korea then signs an agreement with disable their nuclear weapons facilities after attending a six-party talks in Beijing.

2008: Six-party talks and held again in Beijing where North Korea refuses to allow international inspectors have access to suspected nuclear sites.

2009: North Korea conducts their second nuclear test a few kilometers from its 2006 test site near the village of P’unggye. The UN Security Council condemns the nuclear test and imposes new sanctions

2010: North Korea reveals that is has constructed a 2,000-centrifuge uranium enrichment facility to a visiting team

2013: North Korea performs its third nuclear weapon test according to the U.S Geological Survey

2016: South Korea claims that North Korea performed their fifth nuclear weapon test, and North Korea successfully performs a hydrogen bomb test

2017:North Korea performs its sixth and most recent nuclear weapon test

Why is this topic worthy of our attention? Present your (initial) analysis of its relevance to global politics?

Historical tension

Tension between the U.S and North Korea has existed ever since the Cold War. During the Cold war, Russia (communist) and the US (democratic) were battling one another to defend and spread their political theories. Thus, Russia became allies with North Korea; therefore, making North Korea a communist nation. While the US became allies with South Korea; making South Korea a democratic nation. This lead to the Korean War (1950-1953), when North Korea invaded South Korea to spread communism. The United Nations, with the United States as the principal force, came to the aid of South Korea. China came to the aid of North Korea, and the Soviet Union gave some assistance. Thus, “Since the end of the Cold War, the United States and North Korea have engaged in on-and-off nuclear negotiations, which have ultimately failed to stop Pyongyang from building a small nuclear arsenal. The two countries have not established diplomatic relations, and a peace treaty ending the Korean War has not been signed” (Wertz, Gannon, 2015). Korea has been divided into two by the intervention of Russia and the U.S, and so, it is partly the U.S’s responsibility to settle this ongoing, and increasingly growing tension we have with North Korea.

Current tension

          Not only has our tension with North Korea never died, but it has recently been escalating due to Mr. Trump’s interaction with Mr. Kim.  North Korea has created an image of “defiant belligerence, punctuating its propaganda and diplomacy with colorful threats, insults and bluster” (Sang-hun, 2017). But on Friday, the nation’s leader, Kim Jong-un, pushed his government’s brinkmanship to a new perilous level. Published on the front pages of state newspapers and read on national television, Mr. Kim called Mr. Trump a “mentally deranged U.S dotard” who had “denied the existence of and insulted me and my country in front of the eyes of the world.” Thus, Mr. Kim vowed to take the “highest level of hardline countermeasure in history.” Although the statement did not mention nuclear weapons, in the context of a political system built on a cult of personality, Mr. Kim’s intervention seems to reduce the possibility that his government might retreat or compromise, even in the face of war. Mr. Kim condemned Mr. Trump’s threat to “totally destroy” North Korea if the United States is forced to defend itself, and he declared that it had “convinced me, rather than frightening or stopping me, that the path I chose is correct and that it is the one I have to follow to the last”. “But other analysts warned that North Korea’s determination to improve its nuclear capabilities- and act offensively- had long been underestimated” (Sang-Hun 2017).

The range that North Korea's nuclear weapons

          The development of nuclear bombs, and bombs in general, simply gives too much power to individual countries. These bombs have the potential to ruin whatever country they want while also ruining nearby countries in many cases. The radius and long term effects of nuclear bombs should be reason enough for any ethical country not to use them. As North Korea continues to be so lighthearted with their nuclear bombs, it makes everyone in the world vulnerable. We all know that North Korea is one of the most dangerous country in our world because of their government and its leadership. After recent statistics of North Korea’s bombs have been let out, it should worry many civilians because the country has been experimenting with inter-continental ballistic missiles (ICBM), allowing their bombs to go further than ever.  North Korea has made claims that they have recently developed bombs that are capable of reaching “any part of the world”. North Korea’s claims should be a major concern, why? Because the impact of these bombs are unpredictable. The hydrogen bombs that North Korea is contemplating testing is said to have devastating effects, around 4 to 5 times stronger than the one dropped on Nagasaki. The topic of nuclear bombs and North Korea’s bomb usage are critical to everyone’s attention because it can potentially ruin any country or the world itself. It can cause war or a worldwide disease because of the different chemicals a single bomb can contain. Everyone in the world is vulnerable and we should be paying attention to this global topic.

Sources:

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 The Fifth Round of Beijing Six-party Talks Wraps Up Adopting a Document on the Initial Step to Implement the Joint Statement . (2007, February 13). Retrieved September 23, 2017, from http://www.nti.org/media/pdfs/7_13.pdf?_=13173303

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SANG-HUN, C. (2017, September 22). North Korea Hits New Level of Brinkmanship in Reacting to Trump. Retrieved September 23, 2017, from https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/22/world/asia/kim-trump-north-korea.html?mcubz=3