North Korea’s Nuclear Arms Threat

When President Obama took office in 08, one of the his primary goals was to rid the world of the threat of nuclear arms.  Now, with the recent turn of events in North Korea, many doubt whether he can turn his vision into reality.  On Saturday, North Korea threatened a powerful nuclear response to joint military exercises by the US and South Korea, which are due to start Sunday.  North Korea’s fully functioning uranium enrichment plant has caused much anguish from Washington, Seoul and Tokyo.  According to a North Korean paper  on 11/17,  they have successfully carried out a nuclear fusion reaction.  The paper said North Korea had developed the technology independently of other scientists.  US secretary of state Hillary Clinton has estimated that North Korea has up to six nuclear weapons.  Another way of making nuclear bombs is enriching uranium.  Last September North Korea announced it had reached the final state of that process.  US  defense officials claim the plant would enable the communist state to build more nuclear weapons.  Neighboring South Korea expressed grave concerns and Japan has denounced the news as “absolutely unacceptable.”   However, after Washington’s  special envoy Stephen Bosworth sat down with South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-Hwan, he  reported that the move was provocative but not a crisis.  Increasing pressure has been put on North Korea to dismantle its nuclear programme, but six- nation talks with the US, Russia, China, South Korea and Japan have been on hold since 2008.  China is North Korea’s main source of food, fuel and finance.  Much of this has resulted from UN sanctions.  China has warned against holding the exercise and the US increased sanctions against North Korea.