North Korea | Kim's Nuclear Gamble Part 2 of 6

Kim's Nuclear Gamble Part 2 of 6

History, Sociopolitical, Technology Documentary narrated by Will Lyman and published by PBS broadcasted as part of PBS Frontline series in 2003 - English narration
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kim/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/kim/etc/synopsis.html

"Kim's Nuclear Gamble" traces the highs, lows, and crisis points during the past decade of U.S.-North Korean relations, beginning with Pyongyang's announcement in 1994 that it planned to reprocess fuel from its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon -- a move that would have given North Korea enough plutonium to make five to six nuclear bombs.

"We were willing to risk war," former U.S. Secretary of Defense William Perry tells FRONTLINE. "We seriously considered solving the problem directly by simply striking the reactor and processor at Yongbyon."

Following the intervention of former President Jimmy Carter, however, negotiations resumed and ultimately resulted in a deal that became known as the Agreed Framework. North Korea pledged to shut down its nuclear reactor, and in return, the United States promised to pay for and deliver 500,000 metric tons of heavy fuel oil each year until the construction of two light-water reactors -- designed to make proliferation more difficult -- was complete.

However, former U.S. officials concede that while North Korea fulfilled its promise to properly shut down the reactor, the United States showed less enthusiasm for fulfilling its half of the agreement. Late shipments of the promised oil and slow construction on the light-water reactors, they say, angered the North Koreans. "In my judgment, the [Clinton] administration was not prepared to expend very much political capital on behalf of implementation of the Agreed Framework," says Stephen Bosworth, former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea.

While tensions over compliance with the Agreed Framework mounted between the U.S. and North Korea, Pyongyang's relations with South Korea took an upswing. South Korean President Kim Dae Jung, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000, instituted what became known as the "Sunshine Policy," which advocated openness and engagement between the two countries. Lim Dong Won, the architect of the Sunshine Policy, tells FRONTLINE, "We want[ed] to induce change in the North. That is the way to build confidence."

However, in 1998, North Korea tested the world's confidence when it fired a three-stage ballistic missile -- capable of reaching Alaska -- over the Sea of Japan. The third stage failed, but the test sent a message. "Kim's Nuclear Gamble" follows the Clinton administration's attempts to renew negotiations with North Korea in the wake of the missile test -- which included a historic visit to Pyongyang by former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

The 2001 presidential transition had a dramatic impact on U.S.-North Korean relations. FRONTLINE speaks with numerous former government officials who describe a sharp decline in U.S. relations with both North and South Korea under George W. Bush -- a deterioration that got even worse, they say, after Sept. 11 and Bush's "axis of evil" speech.

Donald Gregg, a longtime CIA official and former ambassador to South Korea, for example, tells FRONTLINE that the current Bush administration "has never had a [North Korea] policy. It's had an attitude -- hostility. By threatening them, by calling them a terrorist state we make it much harder for them to become a normal nation."

Current U.S. Ambassador to South Korea Thomas Hubbard calls Gregg's statement an "exaggeration." "The clear policy of our government is that we find nuclear weapons in North Korea to be unacceptable and intolerable," he says. "Nobody wants nuclear weapons in North Korea."

At issue, analysts say, is the Bush administration's insistence that any negotiations with North Korea also involve Russia, China, South Korea and other nations -- a condition that the White House hopes would prevent North Korea from "blackmailing" the United States with threats to produce -- and use -- nuclear weapons.

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[MikeUSUK87]

It's really insane that the N.Korean people are living in the early 1950's and everyone around them, in the world, are not in the same mindset. We do not hold that hate that the Communist N.Korea has for capitalism, westernernism and America. It is quite dangerous because there is such a gap. Almost like a time warp.

[raJlabaJloM]

fuck them US and all of Europa would rape those assholes. 1 month and we would bomb those shitheads to the level of see

[Airforcebz]

North Korean could fuck U.S ass and its allies!!!!!!!!!!!

[dogdeball88]

what id get is that NK says the USA r bad, r imperialists blah blah blah y do u hv 2 hate the US SOOOO MUCH? y dont u hate another country? ( no offense 2 other countries)

[TheJiho88]

did u know that kim il song is less dangerous than kim jong il?

[GangsterG2]

@raJlabaJloM LMAO the U.S could do it alone also we could do a biological war and spread a virus which would fuck the country up.

[MrRagingbovine]

@Xigano1 lol

[lincolnhughes123]

@MikeUSUK87 lol What a total copout. So in your mind, everybody in the world is united in their love for capitalism, westernism and America? Go tell that to the 500,000 dead civilians in Iraq, however many civilians killed in Afghanistan... The list goes on... What an ignorant statement.

[angelusp777]

hahaha the USA was afraid...

[siralucard19]

7:06 yeah you will win like in the First Korean War or Vietnam war? Or better, todays Afganistan

[siralucard19]

6:05 Sirens,bomb-shelters, biohazard suit guys? What is this the '60 (T_T)?

[siralucard19]

3:14 US coulded start klitzkrieg just to stop NK from defending itslef itself and probably start a war with the NK and a posibly WW3 cuz China isn't quite blind you know