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STATE, LOCAL INTERNATIONAL North Korea & US Relations Monique Kreisman, staff writer North Korea, or the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, has a long history of conflict with the United States. On Tuesday, the DPRK an nounced that it will reopen the nuclear facilities it had promised to shut down in 2007. Recent months have seen ris ing tensions between the two nations, and a consideration of past events is helpful in understanding the current state of affairs. After over fifty years of promises broken and remade, it is unknown what the future holds for the United States’ relationship with North Korea. • (1945) The conclusion of World War II freed Korea from Japanese control, and the United States and the Soviet Union split administration of the country at the 38th parallel. The division of the nation was intended to be temporary, but the difficulty in establishing a unified government made the separation permanent. • In 1948, North Korea was established as a na tion, and two years later, it attacked its southern counterpart. Several nations, including the United States, sent troops to support South Korea in the war. • In 1953, an armistice was signed to end the Korean War. • In 1991, North and South Korea signed the Joint Declaration for de nuclearization. The two countries agreed to ban nuclear weapons and al low inspections of nuclear facilities. • However, North Korea refused inspectors access to two nuclear waste sites, and in 1993, it publicized an intention to back out of the Nuclear Nonpro liferation Treaty—an announcement it later withdrew. Also in 1993, North Korea conducted a successful midrange missile test, provoking fear that a nuclear missile might be able to reach large Japa nese cities. Finally, in 1994, inspec tors were granted access to nuclear plants, but North Korea destroyed evidence of the amount of nuclear material devoted to a possible weapons program. Also in 1994, North Korea withdrew from the Inter national Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and ex pelled inspectors from the country. In July of the same year, Kim Il-sung, the presi dent, died, and Kim Jong- il became the leader of North Korea. A few months later. North Korea signed a pact with the United States to open some areas to inspection and to halt nuclear weap ons development. In 1998, North Korea con ducted another successful missile test. In 2002, the US found evidence that North Korea has been conducting a se cret nuclear weapons de velopment program; when, confronted. North Korea admitted to the charges. It also announced that the 1994 agreement was nullified. In 2003, when the United States prepared to in vade Iraq, evidence was obtained that North Korea was carting plutonium away from one of its reac tors. Plutonium is a mate rial that can be converted and used for atomic bomb fuel. In August of 2003, the “Six Nations Talks”—a meeting of North Korea, South Korea, the United States, China, Russia, and Japan—attempted to find a diplomatic solution to the nuclear crisis. North Korea demanded a nonag gression treaty from the United States, and the United States an nounced that it would not give economic aid to North Korea unless the country halts its nuclear development program. In 2005, North Korea promised to abandon its weapons efforts in ex change for security and economic assistance. In 2006, North Ko rea conducted its first nuclear test, resulting in immediate economic sanctions. The Six Nations Talks resumed, and a 2007 agreement persuaded North Korea to again promise to halt weap ons development in exchange for oil and monetary aid. By 2008, North Korea announced that it will no longer participate in the Six Nations Talks and that it will resume its efforts to develop a nuclear weapon. 2009 saw several mis sile tests and a second nuclear test, again met by economic sanctions. In December of 2009, Kim Jong-il dies and is replaced as the leader of North Korea by Kim Jong-un. Two months later, Kim Jong-un announced that North Korea would halt nuclear development in exchange for food aid from the United States. However, in 2012,, North Korea success fully launched a long- range rocket. On February 12th, 2013, North Korea conducted its third and latest nuclear test. It is unknown if the country has obtained the technology needed to fit an atomic weap on in a long-range missile. On March 11th, North Korea announced that it will no longer abide by the 1953 armistice that concluded the Korean War. Kim Jong Un (left) and two senior military officers photo via npr.com Burmese School Fire Kills 13 Brianna Karmi, staff writer Earlier in the day on April 2, 2013, a fire in an Islamic school in Yangon, Myanmar left 13 children dead. While there are questions as to how the fire occurred, officials speculate that the fire might have been caused by a short circuit. The fire broke out in the dormitory in which about 75 children were located. The dormitory was a part of a complex of buildings adjacent to a mosque. The 13 children perished due to suffocation. While there is not a determined cause of the fire, Muslims are blaming Bud dhists. The fire came in the aftermath of violence against Muslims in Meiktila. The violence occurred March 20-22, and more than 40 Muslims were killed and 12,000 had to evacuate their homes. HERALD@EMAIL.MEREDITH.EDU Editor: Amy Hruby — Assistant Editors: Jessica Feltner, Cody Jeffery — Advisor: Dr. Rebecca Duncan Staff Writers: Lizzie Wood, Helen Kenney, Marzia Nawrozi, Monique Kreisman, Sarah Haseeb, Shanna Alley, Maitlyn Healey, . Emma Johnson, Abigail Gupton, AJ Thompson, Hannah Thornton The Meredith Herald is produced by the College throughout the academic year and published by Hinton Press. The paper is funded by the College and through independent advertising. The opinions expressed in the editorial columns do not necessarily reflect those of the College administration, faculty, or student body. The policy of this paper requires that submissions be made by 5 p.m. the Thursday before publi cation and that contributors sign all submissions and provide necessary contact information. The editors and staff welcome submissions meeting the above guidelines.
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