North Korea: Back in the News

North Korea is an enigma. I have studied the regime for years--partly for academic reasons, partly because I'm often asked on the status of North-South Korean relations. Moreover, my new book looks at Americans working in the region in the early 1900s.

Essentially, the latest events are but another step in a long series of negotiations. Expect more impasse, and slow progress.

Questions, please feel free to call or email.

DS

SEOUL, South Korea -- In a gesture demonstrating its commitment to halt its nuclear weapons program, North Korea blew up the most visible symbol of its plutonium production Friday, South Korean media reported from the site.

The 60-foot cooling tower at the North’s main nuclear power plant was demolished on Friday, as promised by the North Korean government. The collapse of the concrete structure, the most conspicuous part of the nuclear complex at Yongbyon, 60 miles north of Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, bore witness to the incremental progress that has been made in American-led multilateral efforts to end North Korea’s nuclear weapons programs.