Archive

Posted: December 23, 2011

Feature Story

Avoiding a North Korean Nuclear Nightmare

No one knows what policies North Korea's new young leader will pursue, or what will happen if he is challenged from within.

Melissa Hanham for WMD Junction

Posted: December 18, 2011

Feature Story

Passing of North Korea's Kim Jong-il

DPRK Supreme Leader Kim Jong-il has died. CNS experts on North Korea are available for comment on the impact of Kim's passing.

Updated: October 4, 2011

Outside Publications

How to Worry Kim Jong-il

Deterring North Korea is a tough job, but someone has to do it. A better earth penetrating nuclear weapon might help.

Jeffrey Lewis and Elbridge Colby, for The Diplomat.

Posted: September 27, 2011

Video

Tracking North Korea's Ballistic Missiles Sales: Implications for the Missile Technology Control Regime

Joshua Pollack, Senior Policy Analyst, Science Applications International Corporation; with commentary by Dennis Gormley, Senior Lecturer, Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, University of Pittsburgh

Posted: July 2011

NPR Viewpoint

Extraordinary Visits: Lessons Learned from Engaging with North Korea

Sigfried S. Hecker , for The Nonproliferation Review, Volume 18.2 (July 2011).

Posted: March 18, 2011

Outside Publications

Why the 1992 Joint Declaration on Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula Still Matters

There are plenty of reasons not to put U.S. nuclear weapons back into South Korea. Tactical nuclear weapons serve no military purpose. It is a close call on which the Air Force would fight harder to keep out of South Korea: U.S. tactical nuclear weapons or the North Koreans.

Jeffrey Lewis, for 38 North.

Posted: November 2, 2010

Feature Story

Missiles, Maneuvers and Mysteries: Review of Recent Developments in North Korea

DPRK's leadership succession and nuclear activities have garnered attention recently. A new report examines recent DPRK actions, including the parading of new missiles systems.

Catherine Boye, Melissa Hanham, Seungho Lee, a CNS Feature Story.

Posted: September 16, 2010

Outside Publication

Taking Control: Stopping North Korean WMD-Related Procurement

North Korea's WMD-related procurement is a serious challenge to its neighbors, but these countries are having some success in stopping the networks.

Stephanie Lieggi, Robert Shaw, and Masako Toki, for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, September/October 2010 issue.

Posted: May 17, 2010

Outside Publication

Impact of the Cheonan Incident on the Six-Party Talks

Melissa Hanham, for the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

Posted: March 3, 2010

Outside Publication

Nonproliferation Issues in U.S.-ROK Nuclear Cooperation

Chen Kane, a paper presented at a U.S.-ROK workshop on nuclear energy and nonproliferation in Washington, DC on January 20, 2010.

Posted: March 3, 2010

The Role of ROK in Global Nonproliferation Efforts and Bilateral Nuclear Nonproliferation Issues [PDF]

James Kwon, a paper presented at a U.S.-ROK workshop on nuclear energy and nonproliferation in Washington, DC on January 20, 2010.

Posted: March 2010

NPR Article

The Defiant States: The Nuclear Diplomacy of North Korea and Iran

Tanya Ogilvie-White, for The Nonproliferation Review, Volume 17.1 (March 2010).

Posted: August 10, 2009

After the Clinton Trip: A Window of Opportunity?

If the past two decades of U.S.-DPRK relations offer any clue, it becomes obvious that engagement, under the right conditions, yields important payoffs.

Jing-Dong Yuan, for Opinion Asia.

Posted: May 27, 2009

The North Korean Nuclear Test: The Japanese Reaction

Frustrated by diplomatic limitations, many ask if the US nuclear umbrella is enough, giving hardliners momentum to seek more aggressive defense policies.

Masako Toki, for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Posted: May 27, 2009

Beijing Weighs Its Options

Beijing will likely condemn North Korea's behavior and endorse limited but not severe sanctions that could seriously undermine its interests.

Jing-Dong Yuan, for the Asia Times.

Posted: May 25, 2009

CNS Report: North Korea Conducts Nuclear Test [PDF]

On May 25, DPRK carried out its second nuclear test. International reaction has been swift. Initial reports point to a higher yield for this test than the first in 2006.

A Feature Story.

Posted: April 27, 2009

The North Korean Rocket Launch: International Reactions and Implications

In reaction to the UNSC condemnation of its rocket launch, North Korea pulled out of the six-party talks. The current crisis is will be a serious challenge to regional stability.

A Feature Story.

Posted: April 8, 2009

North Korean Satellite Falls Short of Expectations

On April 5, North Korea carried out its planned launch of a satellite but the three-stage rocket used appears to have failed in the final stage.
A Feature Story by Dean Knox.

Posted: April 3, 2009

Japan's Response to the North Korean Satellite Launch

Japan has mobilizing its missile defense system for the first time in the country's history.

An article by Masako Toki for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists.

Posted: April 1, 2009

Launch of North Korean "Communications Satellite" Draws Near, Raising Concerns of Regional Instability

The DPRK's plans to launch a satellite on a modified long-range missile have had a significant impact on regional threat perceptions.
A Feature Story by Dean Knox.

Posted: March 2008

NPR Article

Paranoid, Potbellied Stalinist Gets Nuclear Weapons: How The U.S. Print Media Cover North Korea

Hugh Gusterson, for The Nonproliferation Review, Volume 15.1 (March 2008).

Created: December 5, 2007

Beijing Keeps a Wary Eye on the Korean Peace Process

An op-ed by Jing-Dong Yuan for China Brief.

Created: April 19, 2007

Back to the Future: U.S. adopting familiar approach to continuing North Korean defiance. [PDF format]

An op-ed by Daniel A. Pinkston for The Ripon Forum.

Created: April 7, 2007

The North Korean Nuclear Impasse: A Long Road to Denuclearisation

An op-ed by Jing-Dong Yuan for OpinionAsia.

Created: April 3, 2007

Six-Parties Adopt Steps for North Korean Denuclearization But Uranium Enrichment Controversy Looms as Major Obstacle

An article by Daniel A. Pinkston and Leonard S. Spector for WMD Insights.

Created: March 21, 2007

Japan Debates Preparing for Future Preemptive Strikes against North Korea [PDF format]

Daniel A. Pinkston and Kazutaka Sakurai have published this piece in a special edition on the North Korean nuclear issue of The Korean Journal of Defense Analysis, Vol. 18, No. 4, Winter 2006, pp. 95-121.

Created: March 21, 2007

Critique of the Criticism Against the Beijing Accord [PDF format]

An op-ed by Dave H. Kim for The Chosun Ilbo, March 19, 2007.

Created: January 8, 2007

North Korea Likely to Conduct Second Nuclear Test [PDF format]

From a technical standpoint, North Korea should be expected to conduct at least one or two more nuclear tests before its leaders can be confident in their "nuclear deterrent."
A CNS Research Story by Daniel A. Pinkston and Shin Sungtack.

Created: November 28, 2006

North Korean Speech to UN: All Rhetoric

An op-ed by Dave H. Kim for The Korea Times.

Created: November 28, 2006

China's new North Korea diplomacy

An op-ed by Jing-Dong Yuan for Asia Times Online.

Created: October 16, 2006

The North Korean Nuclear Test: Regional and International Implications [PDF format]

CNS experts took part in a panel discussion on the recent events on the Korean peninsula and what the future may hold for the international community and the nonproliferation regime.
(Korean text)
A CNS Research Story

Created: October 12, 2006

How Will the World React to a Nuclear North Korea?

Jing-Dong Yuan speaks on NPR's Talk of the Nation, October 11.

Created: October 10, 2006

CNS Analysis of North Korea Nuclear Test Claim [PDF format]

CNS experts report on the technical specifications of North Korea's test as well as initial reaction from the international community.
A CNS Research Story

Created: October 4, 2006

Interview of Dr. Daniel Pinkston on NPR's To The Point, October 3, 2006

Created: October 4, 2006

South Korean Response to North Korean July Missile Exercise Includes Unveiling of New Cruise Missile

A report by Dan Pinkston for WMD Insights.

Created: October 4, 2006

Text of the North Korean MFA statement [PDF format]

Created: September 5, 2006

North Korea's Foreign Policy Towards the United States [PDF format]

An article by Daniel A. Pinkston for Strategic Insights, Volume V, Issue 7 (September 2006).

Created: September 5, 2006

Clarification on Media Citations of "CNS Report on DPRK Missiles"

Created: July 14, 2006

Causes and Consequences of North Korea's Missile Tests

An audio interview with Leonard Spector on voanews.com.

Created: July 12, 2006

Deadly silence

An op-ed by Daniel A. Pinkston for Salon.com.

Created: July 5, 2006

As North Korea Prepares Launch of Long-Range Ballistic Missile, Split Widens Between U.S. and South Korea

An article by Daniel A. Pinkston for WMD Insights.

Created: June 16, 2006

Will North Korea Launch a Long-range Missile? [PDF format]

An essay by Daniel A. Pinkston for the Nautilus Institute's Policy Forum Online.

Created: May 4, 2006

North Korea Claims South Plans to Produce Nuclear Submarine

An analysis by Daniel A. Pinkston for the WMD Insights.

Created: May 4, 2006

North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Program and the Six-party Talks

An issue brief by Daniel A. Pinkston for the Nuclear Threat Initiative.

Created: March 21, 2006

North Korean Ballistic Missile Capabilities (PDF format)

A new special report from CNS answers key questions about North Korea's ballistic missiles and presents estimates of their missile capabilities.
A CNS Research Story.

Created: March 6, 2006

North Korean Ballistic Missile Capabilities (PDF format)

A new special report from CNS answers key questions about North Korea's ballistic missiles and presents estimates of their missile capabilities.
A CNS Research Story.

Created: August 1, 2005

Some signs of hope at Korea talks (PDF Format)

An op-ed by Jing-Dong Yuan for the San Diego Union-Tribune, August 1, 2005.

Created: August 1, 2005

China, US discuss their relationship (PDF Format)

An op-ed by Jing-Dong Yuan for the Asia Times Online, July 30, 2005.

Created: August 1, 2005

China takes a bow (PDF Format)

An op-ed by Jing-Dong Yuan for the Asia Times Online, July 27, 2005.

Posted: May 9, 2005

Council on Foreign Relations: Interview with Dr. Daniel Pinkston, May 9, 2005

According to Dr. Pinkston, Director of the East Asia Nonproliferation Program, the six-party talks are "dead." The only way to resurrect the process is for Washington to be more flexible with Pyongyang and initiate new talks.

Created: April 28, 2005

Special Report on the Shutdown of North Korea's 5MW(e) Nuclear Reactor

(PDF format)

According to Han Song Ryol, North Korean deputy ambassador to the United Nations, North Korea plans to discharge the spent fuel and extract plutonium for bombs in order to increase the country's "nuclear deterrent."
A CNS Research Story.

Created: April 25, 2005

Don't Outsource North Korea Problem to China

Washington is relying on Beijing to pressure Pyongyang into returning to the six-party talks, which have been stalled for almost one year. This strategy is unlikely to resolve the crisis, and it also risks alienating U.S. allies and marginalizing Washington in the region.
An op-ed by Andrew F. Diamond and Daniel A. Pinkston for The Korea Times.

Posted: April 19, 2005

Transcript of WashingtonPost.com Live Discussion, featuring Dr. Daniel Pinkston, April 19, 2005

Dr. Daniel Pinkston discussed North Korea's programs to develop weapons of mass destruction and relevant U.S. policy during a live online discussion.

Created: February 11, 2005

Special Report on the North Korean Nuclear Weapons Statement

On February 10, 2005, the North Korean Foreign Ministry issued a statement declaring that North Korea possessed nuclear weapons and that the country would "increase its nuclear arsenal to defend the ideas, system, freedom and democracy that were chosen by the North Korean people."
A CNS Research Story.

February 26, 2004

Bargaining Failure and the North Korean Nuclear Program's Impact on International Nonproliferation Regimes (PDF format)

An article by Daniel A. Pinkston for the December issue of the KNDU Review.

Created: December 2003

Responses to a Nuclear North Korea (PDF Format)

An article by Phillip C. Saunders for KNDU Review.

Created: August 26, 2003

Seeing North Korea Clearly (PDF format)

An article by Dan A. Pinkston and Phillip C. Saunders for the journal Survival.

Created: Summer 2003

Domestic Politics and Stakeholders in the North Korean Missile Development Program (PDF format)

An article for the Nonproliferation Review, CNS, Vol. 10.2. by Daniel A. Pinkston.

Created: May 29, 2003

Why China Should Rethink Its Approach to North Korea

An op-ed by Jing-Dong Yuan for the South China Morning Post.

Created: April 18, 2003

Factsheet on North Korean Nuclear Reprocessing Statement

The statement was the first official comment by the DPRK about the upcoming trilateral meetings between the United States, North Korea and China that are scheduled to be held in Beijing the week of April 20th.

Created: April 9, 2003

North Korea's Withdrawal From the NPT: A Reality Check

North Korea's withdrawal could trigger further defections from the treaty and cause other states in the region to pursue nuclear weapons of their own. Of equal concern is the potential for North Korea to sell weapons grade fissile material or nuclear weapons themselves to other states and non-state actors, including terrorist groups.
Research Story of the Week by Jean Du Preez and William Potter.

Created: April 8, 2003

North Korean Cruise Missile Tests--and Iraqi Cruise Missile Attacks--Raise Troubling Questions for Missile Defenses

"In the end, hedging against the cruise missile threat depends as much on developing more effective nonproliferation policies as it does on planning for more versatile missile defenses."
Research Story of the Week by Dennis Gormley.

Created: March 26, 2003

U.S. Must Rethink North Korea Strategy

"The U.S. must now consider an alternative strategy before time runs out."
An op-ed by Jing-Dong Yuan for The Japan Times.

Created: March 4, 2003

Confronting Ambiguity: How to Handle North Korea's Nuclear Program

"There are growing divisions over how to deal with North Korea's nuclear weapons program."
An article by Phillip C. Saunders for Arms Control Today.

Created: February 26, 2003

Vinalon, the DPRK, and Chemical Weapons Precursors

An integral segment of the DPRK chemical industry is the production of vinalon, or "juche fiber." Of special significance is the fact that a number of North Korean defectors have linked Dr. Lee Sung Ki-the co-inventor of vinalon and father of polymer fiber production in the DPRK--with the DPRK chemical and nuclear weapons programs.
An issue brief by Eric Croddy for the Nuclear Threat Initiative (NTI).

Created: January 27, 2003

Military Options for Dealing with North Korea's Nuclear Program

This report explores some of the tactical issues that would be involved in military strikes against North Korean nuclear facilities and explains why an anonymous senior Bush administration official concluded that although the United States has military options, "we don't have good ones."

Created: January 14, 2003

Assessing North Korea's Nuclear Intentions

North Korean leaders have strong incentives to conceal their true intentions in order to maximize their bargaining power and to minimize international reactions to their nuclear weapons program.

Created: January 14, 2003

North Korea Pushed into Nuclear Standoff

"Pyongyang's nuclear weapons programme and its development of ballistic missiles have been driven largely by its acute sense of vulnerability in what it perceives to be a deteriorating security environment since the end of the Cold War."
An op-ed by Jing-Dong Yuan for the South China Morning Post.

Created: January 10, 2003

CNS Experts Respond to the DPRK's Withdrawal from the NPT

On January 10th, the DPRK issued a statement that it would be withdrawing from the NPT.

Created: January 10, 2003

Text of North Korea's Statement on NPT Withdrawal

On January 10th, the DPRK issued a statement that it would be withdrawing from the NPT.

Created: January 7, 2003

Korea Crisis Will Test Chinese Diplomacy

"As the United States and North Korea head toward a possible nuclear confrontation, China is positioned to play a critical role in defusing the crisis."
An op-ed by Phillip C. Saunders and Jing-Dong Yuan for the Asian Times, January 8, 2002.

Created: December 16, 2002

North Korea Lifts the Freeze on Its Nuclear Program

The DPRK announced that it would lift the freeze on its nuclear facilities to generate electricity, raising several questions regarding the current status of its nuclear facilities and the timelines for any diversion of nuclear materials to bomb fabrication.
Research Story of the Week by Daniel A. Pinkston.

Created: Fall/Winter 2002

Second Tier Proliferation: The Case of Pakistan and North Korea (PDF Format)

A report for the Nonproliferation Review, CNS, Vol. 9.3. by Guarav Kampani.

Created: October 30, 2002

North Korean Motivations for Developing Nuclear Weapons (PDF format)

"We must analyze the North Koreans' threat perceptions over the past half century to clearly understand their motivations for acquiring the bomb."

Created: October 30, 2002

The Status of North Korea's Nuclear Inspections

Created: October 28, 2002

When Did WMD Deals Between Pyongyang and Islamabad Begin?

According to press reports, the North Korean-Pakistani trade of missiles for highly enriched uranium (HEU) technology occurred around 1997, which would coincide with Pyongyang's shipment of Nodong missiles to Pakistan.
Research Story of the Week by Daniel A. Pinkston.

Created: October 21, 2002

Collapse of the Agreed Framework?

A White House spokesman declared that North Korea is in "material breach" of the Agreed Framework, and the agreement could now be null and void. It is too early to tell whether the Agreed Framework can be resuscitated because the willingness of both parties to negotiate a new deal is uncertain.
Research Story of the Week by Daniel A. Pinkston.

Updated: October 21, 2002

Agreed Framework and KEDO

Created: February 26 2002

Nuclear Inspections and Brinksmanship

"The United States and its allies in East Asia are struggling to develop a strategy to address the growing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear weapons program."
An op-ed by Leonard S. Spector for the Chosun Ilbo, October 30, 2002.

Created: May 2001

North Korean Ballistic Missile Programs: Soviet and Russian Legacies?

By Timothy McCarthy, WMD Threats 2001: Critical Choices for the Bush Administration, Occasional Papers: #6.

Created: October 24, 2000

Implementing the Agreed Framework and Potential Obstacles

"The Agreed Framework between the United States and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) signed in October 1994 has frozen the DPRK's nuclear weapons development program. However, the Agreed Framework has been under threat."
By Daniel A. Pinkston for the 12th Pacific Basin Nuclear Conference in Seoul, Korea, 29 October to 2 November 2000.

Created: Fall-Winter 2000

Implementing the DPRK Nuclear Deal: What U.S. Law Requires (PDF format)

A report for the Nonproliferation Review, CNS, Vol. 7.3. by Henry Sokolski.

Created 9 February 2000

A History of Ballistic Missile Development in the DPRK

Occasional Paper #2, Joseph S. Bermudez, Jr.

Created: 2000

North Korea's Ballistic Missile Program: A Look Back & the Road Ahead

Washington D.C. Office 2000 Briefing Series, February 28, 2000.

Created: Fall 1999

Lessons of the Agreed Framework for Using Engagement as a Nonproliferation Tool (PDF format)

An article for the Nonproliferation Review, CNS, Vol. 6.4. by Curtis H. Martin.

Updated: August 1999

CNS Resources on North Korea's Ballistic Missile Program

This page provides a map, factsheet, overview, chronology, and external links related to North Korea's ballistic missile program.

Created: July 1999

North Korea: A Second Taep'o-dong Test?

Created: July 1999

North Korea's Alleged Underground Nuclear Facility

Created: July 1999

Perry Report on US North Korea Policy Impending

Created: Winter 1999

The Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization: Achievements and Challenges (PDF format)

A viewpoint for the Nonproliferation Review, CNS, Vol. 6.2. by Joel Wit.

Created: Spring-Summer 1995

The Origins, Evolution, and Current Politics of the North Korean Nuclear Program (PDF format)

Nonproliferation Review Volume 2, Number 3, Spring-Summer 1995.

Archived

Chronologies

• North Korean Nuclear Developments (1947-1999)
• IAEA-North Korea: Nuclear Safeguards and Inspections (1977-1999)