Pyongyang Gave the U.S. Documented Requirements to Dismantling Nuclear Program

North Korea was discovered to have written and given a document to the U.S. in December last year on specific requirements for North Korea to scrap its nuclear program.

On January 13, Center for National Policy (CNP), a private policy research institute in the U.S., released the paper “Factors for Resolving the Nuclear Issue” laid out by senior North Korean Diplomat Li Gun. The paper, sent on December 16 last year, specified the details regarding the four-phase plan between North Korea and the U.S. to resolve the nuclear issue.

Vice President of CNP Maureen Steinbruner said, “The document was written after our request” and added, “It was also sent to the White House and the Department of State.”

In the document, North Korea clarified its four-phase plan. In the first phase, Pyongyang would declare its intention to scrap the nuclear program in return for a resumption of heavy fuel oil shipments and expansion of food aid from the U.S. The U.S. will then guarantee non-aggression in a written form and compensate for the loss of electricity, after which North Korea would readmit inspectors and freeze its nuclear facilities and materials. In the third phase, the U.S. and Japan would establish full diplomatic relations with North Korea and solve problems regarding North Korea’s missiles. The last phase included the completion of light water reactors and dismantling of North Korea’s nuclear facilities.

North Korea also insisted that the U.S. withdrew political, economic, and military sanctions and eliminated Pyongyang from the list of terrorist-supporting countries in return for the freezing of the nuclear program in the second round of the six-nation talks. Pyongyang added that energy aid by the neighboring countries would lay the foundation for future talks.

Li wrote, “The more the U.S. delays the resolution of the problem, the more time North Korea will have to strengthen its nuclear deterrence.”

maypole@donga.com