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	CIAO Focus, February 2003: U.S. policy on North Korea
	With the U.S. Administration at pains to keep the debate on Iraq's weapons program distinct from North Korea's emergence as a nuclear threat, Pyongyang says it has restarted its nuclear facilities at Yongbyon. North Korea has recently admitted to a longstanding clandestine nuclear weapons program in violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty they signed in 1985. The Yongbyon reactor could produce enough plutonium each year for more than a dozen nuclear bombs. In fact, Chinese reports indicate that North Korea may already have four or five nuclear weapons. In December 2002, North Korea dismissed IAEA inspectors and withdrew from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. The U.S. State Department is considering options for direct dialogue with North Korea. For now, it seems, all diplomatic options are still on the table, and the Administration appears to be approaching North Korea with some caution. Has North Korea's nuclear capability helped them avoid the prospect of a U.S. led strike, even as the same options are being considered in Iraq? This month CIAO focuses on U.S. policy on North Korea. From CIAO's database: Korea case study (PDF) Options for Dealing with North Korea - CATO Institute - Jan 2003 (PDF) Bush's Approach to North Korea is Appropriate and Necessary - The Center for Strategic and International Studies - February 2002 North Korea: Hard Line is Not the Best Line - March 2001 - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Testing North Korea: The Next Stage in U.S. and ROK Policy (PDF) Outside Links*: Map of N. Korea http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/cia02/korea_north_sm02.gif Map of S. Korea http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/cia02/korea_south_sm02.gif CIA World Factbook http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/kn.html IAEA Factsheet on North Korea's Nuclear Program and Inspections http://www.iaea.org/worldatom/Press/Focus/IaeaDprk/fact_sheet_8jan2003.html Colin Powell's Remarks at the U.N., February 5, 2003 (RealVideo) http://www.voanews.com/mediastore/powe1530v.ram * Outside links are not maintained. For broken outside links, CIAO recommends the Way Back Machine [http://www.archive.org/].