North Korea

After four years of negotiating in and with North Korea, I cannot say that I have all of the answers to deal with a regime that defies the expectations of rational thinking, but I do have at least one of them: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea leadership, whoever happens to be the leader of the moment, whether Great, Dear, or Supreme, can only be dissuaded from chronically irresponsible behavior and from crossing a so-called red line (i.e.,...

After four years of negotiating in and with North Korea, I cannot say that I have all of the answers to deal with a regime that defies the expectations of rational thinking, but I do have at least one of them: The Democratic People's Republic of Korea leadership, whoever happens to be the leader of the moment, whether Great, Dear, or Supreme, can only be dissuaded from chronically irresponsible behavior and from crossing a so-called red line (i.e.,...

The U.S. is the world's leading humanitarian nation and has been one of the largest donors of emergency food to North Korea. The New York Times insists policymakers should continue to focus on the humanitarian virtues of giving food to madman Kim Jong Il while ignoring unpleasant realities, one of which is that doing so may not be in the security interests of the U.S., the region or the suffering citizens of North Korea. The UN says that North Korea will need international food assistance again this year, which is tragic.

He was born into freedom in Pusan, South Korea, 60 years ago. Still, Jong C. Jang of Marriottsville spent much of his boyhood hearing his father, Ok Kyun Jang, rhapsodize about growing up in a place about 350 miles to the north. Families were close-knit in the mountainous region around Pyongyang , now the capital of North Korea, Ok Kyun Jang said. Life was stable and opportunity abounded. But that was before 1950, when a Communist army invaded the South, driving hundreds of thousands from their homes and helping give rise to one of the world's most harshly repressive dictatorships.

BEIJING — He is the new public face of North Korea: Jong Tae-se is a 26-year-old publicity hound with his own blog, where he strikes a sultry, bare-chested pose. He has appeared in television commercials. He drives a silver Hummer and likes to dress like hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur. When he goes on the road, he travels with a laptop, iPod and sometimes a Nintendo DS and a Sony PlayStation Portable. Jong is the star striker of North Korea's 2010 World Cup team. That makes him at this particular moment the most recognizable living North Korean, with the possible exception of the Dear Leader, Kim Jong Il. This is the first time North Korea has qualified for the World Cup since 1966.

He was born into freedom in Pusan, South Korea, 60 years ago. Still, Jong C. Jang of Marriottsville spent much of his boyhood hearing his father, Ok Kyun Jang, rhapsodize about growing up in a place about 350 miles to the north. Families were close-knit in the mountainous region around Pyongyang , now the capital of North Korea, Ok Kyun Jang said. Life was stable and opportunity abounded. But that was before 1950, when a Communist army invaded the South, driving hundreds of thousands from their homes and helping give rise to one of the world's most harshly repressive dictatorships.

WASHINGTON - The Bush administration's basic policy toward North Korea is not going well. Without a clearer strategy, pursued with strong U.S. leadership, we are almost certain to fail in our efforts to denuclearize North Korea. The policy-making confusion was evident during Condoleezza Rice's first trip to Asia as secretary of state. She made several statements intended to encourage Kim Jong Il to resume serious negotiations at the six-party talks under way since 2003. She explicitly recognized North Korea's sovereignty and promised security assurances and economic help if it would denuclearize.

WASHINGTON -- Amid a growing dispute over reports that North Korea has built its own nuclear bomb, Chinese Premier Li Peng told United Nations Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali yesterday that Beijing opposes international sanctions to force North Korea to accept nuclear inspections.China supports efforts to eliminate nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula, but Mr. Li said Beijing favors negotiations to resolve the crisis, the official New China News Agency reported.The Clinton administration has indicated that it will press for a U.N. oil embargo on North Korea if the dispute reaches an impasse.

When President Clinton visits South Korea after the Group of Seven summit in Tokyo, and makes the ritual visit to the demilitarized zone facing an ever-hostile North Korea, the nuclear threat posed by the Pyongyang regime will shadow every gesture he makes, every word he utters.A crisis of worldwide significance was averted June 11 when North Korea "suspended" its decision to become the first country ever to withdraw from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. But it still refuses to permit spot inspections at any suspected nuclear sites by the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Did North Korea blink, or did it merely wink? Although Pyongyang's acceptance of international inspections at its seven declared nuclear facilities comes as a profound relief, the crisis is not over. Until the Stalinist state accepts inspections at still-secret sites where there may be evidence it has made one or more nuclear weapons, there will be a perception that the genie is out of the bottle in one of the world's most explosive hot spots.President Clinton had it right last year when he declared the United States will not tolerate a nuclear-armed North Korea.

Perhaps there has been nothing more baffling to American eyes than the photographs of hordes of obviously grief-stricken North Koreans mourning the death of their 69-year-old dictator, Kim Jong Il. Under his reign and that of his father, the people of the globe's most closed society have remained mired in repression and poverty for 63 years. The genuine remorse, akin to what customarily is reserved for the passing of close personal family members, demonstrated the uncommon hold the departed leader had over his people.

The death of North Korean leader Kim Jong Il leaves a cloud of uncertainty over North Asia and complicates efforts by the U.S. and its allies to halt the nuclear weapons program that is the principal legacy of his 17-year rule. Kim was a canny and manipulative despot who repeatedly thwarted efforts by more powerful neighbors and adversaries like the United States to stabilize the Korean peninsula. Now that he is gone, the internal power struggle over succession could have unpredictable and perhaps dangerous consequences for the region and the world.

The U.S. is the world's leading humanitarian nation and has been one of the largest donors of emergency food to North Korea. The New York Times insists policymakers should continue to focus on the humanitarian virtues of giving food to madman Kim Jong Il while ignoring unpleasant realities, one of which is that doing so may not be in the security interests of the U.S., the region or the suffering citizens of North Korea. The UN says that North Korea will need international food assistance again this year, which is tragic.

Portugal put on the most dominant performance of the World Cup, routing North Korea 7-0 on Monday in Cape Town. Simao Sabrosa, Hugo Almeida and Tiago scored over an eight-minute span in the second half, after Raul Meireles' 29th-minute goal gave Portugal the lead. Liedson added another in the 81st. Cristiano Ronaldo ended his goalless streak in the 87th minute, and Tiago added his second goal two minutes later. Ronaldo had not scored for his nation in a non-friendly match since the 2008 European Championship.

BEIJING — He is the new public face of North Korea: Jong Tae-se is a 26-year-old publicity hound with his own blog, where he strikes a sultry, bare-chested pose. He has appeared in television commercials. He drives a silver Hummer and likes to dress like hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur. When he goes on the road, he travels with a laptop, iPod and sometimes a Nintendo DS and a Sony PlayStation Portable. Jong is the star striker of North Korea's 2010 World Cup team. That makes him at this particular moment the most recognizable living North Korean, with the possible exception of the Dear Leader, Kim Jong Il. This is the first time North Korea has qualified for the World Cup since 1966.

I write in reply to your editorial, "A new security plan" (May 29). You praise President Obama's security strategy that calls for diplomacy first as a triumph of common sense. You say Republicans will no doubt jump on the Obama strategy. Leaving the Republicans out, I believe President Obama, despite his grandiloquence in favor of diplomacy over war, knows little about the age old art of negotiating. He has ordered far more drone attacks in Pakistan against terrorists breeding in that country's tribal areas than his predecessor, President Bush.

North Korea's economy is down to one-tenth of South Korea's, and is barely able to feed its people. North Korea has no friends in or out of the Communist world, though China remains cordial. No wonder North Korea has renounced the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and prevented International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors from putting new film in surveillance cameras. That is one way to get attention.North Korea has no relations with the United States, although its membership in the U.N. allows back-channel communication.

U.N. Secretary General Boutros Boutros Ghali's visit to North Korea should reinforce the message that Security Council action will come next year if the Pyongyang regime continues to rebuff international inspection of its nuclear facilities. American officials, who have had their differences with the United Nations leader, are less than enthusiastic about his entry into these intricate negotiations. But since this enhances Mr. Boutros Ghali's image of independence, it may strengthen his hand in his talks with the North Koreans.

S tuck in the 19th Century, Many Governmental Institutions, Practices Harm U.S. Many politicians and other Americans proudly and loudly carry the banner of "change." While important policy changes can occur, deep change in many governmental institutions and practices is about as alien to modern America as democracy is to Iran or North Korea. One might respond that the U.S. is an open society and leader in global innovation. True. In science, technology and business, we are great at change.

In 1979, a science and technology agreement between the United States and China paved the way for bilateral scientific cooperation that continues to benefit American science and society more broadly. Now, science diplomacy may help America open a door toward improved relations with Pyongyang, too. In December, six Americans representing leading scientific organizations sat down with their North Korean counterparts. The meeting took place on the heels of U.S. Special Envoy Stephen Bosworth's first official bilateral meeting with North Korea.