NationStates Jolt Archive

North Korea has shut down its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, a US state department spokesman has said.

Sean McCormack said that the US had been informed of the shut-down by North Korea and was now awaiting verification from the UN nuclear watchdog, the IAEA.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/6899185.stm

well it looks as though the first steps have been taken to get North Korea back on that naughty-but-so-long-as-they-don't-kick-up-a-fuss list and all we need to do is supply oil, maybe we can also try to make sure North Korea gets fed this year :)

so what do you think of this incentive policy? could it be applied elsewhere (Cuba)? how much more good does the UN have to do before the world takes notice?

They'll keep quiet for a few years, until the army/elite eats all the food again, and needs to kick another fuss to blackmail the world into giving them aid. Hardly fair, but it works.

They'll keep quiet for a few years, until the army/elite eats all the food again, and needs to kick another fuss to blackmail the world into giving them aid. Hardly fair, but it works.

they should just ask nicely next time, much better for everybody's health

huzzah for stability

Vive de les Nations Unies!

Long live the United Nations! May it's mission to bring peace to the world never falter.

Good show on the part of the multilateral efforts of the members of the Six-Party Talks for coming to a satisfactory conclusion.

Also, Call to Power, one of the reasons the United Nations good work isn't taken more notice of, particularly in the US, is because of media bias, encouraged by the government, just as Malloch Brown pointed out in June '06. The people are deliberately misinformed, as political discourse about US-UN relations is relegated to and guided by pundits like Limbaugh and, the usual suspects, Fox News.

*RO/Myrmindosia senses tingling*

SNIP

I've always been horrified by the willingness of people to just go out and think whatever some guy on T.V says

I never thought I'd say this but we need more positive role models!

The motivation for shutting down the reactor is clear: North Korea did not have any other option than to yield at some point. The question is if this is a display of actual willingness to become a more integrated part of the international community, or if it is a way of buying some more time for continuing the path followed hitherto.

I fear it is the former, since the Juche ideology is strongly tied to isolationism. I do hope, however, that someone up in the NK government is realizing that Juche is killing the country and must be abandoned.

The motivation for shutting down the reactor is clear: North Korea did not have any other option than to yield at some point. The question is if this is a display of actual willingness to become a more integrated part of the international community, or if it is a way of buying some more time for continuing the path followed hitherto.

I fear it is the former, since the Juche ideology is strongly tied to isolationism. I do hope, however, that someone up in the NK government is realizing that Juche is killing the country and must be abandoned.

Well Junche wasn't always the official ideology, once upon a time it was orthodox Marxism/Leninism which allowed trade and wasn't so tied up in self-sufficiently. I think the KWP need to realize how much their country would benefit from opening massive trade and contact with China in particular, as they have started to a little.

I fear it is the former, since the Juche ideology is strongly tied to isolationism. I do hope, however, that someone up in the NK government is realizing that Juche is killing the country and must be abandoned.

either way the outcome has been good, relations with North Korea will be slightly better now and hopefully with the oil any transition in government that may come in future will run smoother

I think the KWP need to realize how much their country would benefit from opening massive trade and contact with China in particular, as they have started to a little.

I think its more to do with desperation now, the current plans aren't working out and unlike Zimbabwe whoever holds the strings in North Korea doesn't want to watch there government collapse

Won't shutting off that nuclear power plant just cause thousands of people to lose power?

Won't shutting off that nuclear power plant just cause thousands of people to lose power?

North Koreans don't have electricity and the small amount that do mostly get it from coal and such

They should detonate one of their nuclear bombs at Yongbyon just to let the world know that it's destroyed.

It will be re-activated in 2012 when the next famine hits, and NK needs to cry like a three year old instead of asking for help.

either way the outcome has been good, relations with North Korea will be slightly better now and hopefully with the oil any transition in government that may come in future will run smoother



I think its more to do with desperation now, the current plans aren't working out and unlike Zimbabwe whoever holds the strings in North Korea doesn't want to watch there government collapse

I have to disagree with that comparison, unlike Zimbabwe who's descent was a rather quick affair, NK have been running their state monopolist economy for over 70 years, I don't think the effect of Junche in enabling them to survive past the removal of their soviet subsidies should be downplayed, the Eastern bloc was sustained through the russian product subsidies and generous trade deals.

Won't shutting off that nuclear power plant just cause thousands of people to lose power?

It was a breeder reactor. I suppose most of the energy was used to run the enrichment facilities.

I have to disagree with that comparison, unlike Zimbabwe who's descent was a rather quick affair, NK have been running their state monopolist economy for over 70 years, I don't think the effect of Junche in enabling them to survive past the removal of their soviet subsidies should be downplayed, the Eastern bloc was sustained through the russian product subsidies and generous trade deals.

The North Korean state survived by having thousands of artillery pieces pointed at Seoul.

Whilst the state (and government) has survived the per capita earning and general conditions for the general public have been steadily falling for decades (since the 1980s). The only reason why it survived was because of an incredibly powerful army, indoctrination and low levels of accurate information reaching the public.

The only reason why it's army survived was because the Soviet Union funded a huge amount of military industry and allowed a large scale independent heavy industry to form.

It was a breeder reactor. I suppose most of the energy was used to run the enrichment facilities.



The North Korean state survived by having thousands of artillery pieces pointed at Seoul.

Whilst the state (and government) has survived the per capita earning and general conditions for the general public have been steadily falling for decades (since the 1980s). The only reason why it survived was because of an incredibly powerful army, indoctrination and low levels of accurate information reaching the public.

The only reason why it's army survived was because the Soviet Union funded a huge amount of military industry and allowed a large scale independent heavy industry to form.
Well my point was, the DPRK could not have survived unless they were at the least bit self-sufficient.