Material in North Korea's nuclear test unclear, worrying for U.S.
By Jill Dougherty and Pam Benson
More than a month after North Korea tested a nuclear device, the United States is unable to pinpoint whether the regime was able to use uranium to fuel the explosion, a capability that would represent a significantly enhanced nuclear program.
The lack of clarity comes as North Korea ratchets up its bellicose rhetoric each day.
New video broadcast on North Korean television showed the nation's leader, Kim Jong Un, addressing his troops along the border on Monday and issuing a blood-chilling threat, "Throw all enemies into the caldron, break their waists and crack their windpipes." It was the same location he and his late father visited in November 2010, just two days before the North shelled an island, killing four South Koreans.
The bellicose comments have been intensifying over the past months, increasing worry about Kim's unpredictability.
North Korea agrees to halt nuclear activity for food
By Jamie Crawford
North Korea has agreed to halt nuclear tests, long-range missile launches and enrichment activities at its Yongbyon nuclear complex in exchange for food aid from the United States, the State Department said Wednesday.
The state-run North Korean news agency (KCNA) announced the agreement separately.
"Today's announcement represents a modest first step in the right direction. We, of course, will be watching closely and judging North Korea's new leaders by their actions," Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Wednesday before the House Appropriations Committee.
North Korea and U.S. to meet
By Elise Labott
A U.S. envoy will meet with North Korean officials next week to test that nation's willingness to abandon its nuclear program, the State Department said Monday.
Special Representative for North Korea Policy Glyn Davies will meet with his counterpart, North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan, in Beijing on February 23, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters.
Davies just returned from Russia, where he discussed continuing efforts to get North Korea to disarm. FULL POST
U.S. sending new envoy to reengage North Koreans
U.S. Government Photo
By Sr. State Department Producer Elise Labott and National Security Producer Jamie Crawford
The U.S. announced a new envoy to engage North Korea in renewed talks about its nuclear weapons program that are set to resume next week in Geneva. The State Department announced that Glyn Davies, U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, will replace Special Representative for North Korea Policy Ambassador Stephen Bosworth. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked Davies to pick up the portfolio according to a senior State Department official briefing reporters traveling with Clinton to Afghanistan.
Bosworth will formally step down from his position following the meetings October 24-25 in Geneva.
FULL POST
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