Word: jong
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...literally true that diplomats in international capitals who have to deal with Pyongyang are those that draw the shortest straw. But it probably should be. No deal with the North is ever set in stone. And so it is again with the agreement Kim Jong Il signed last year to disable his nuclear bomb-making equipment and get rid of the nukes that Pyongyang has already produced - between 6 and 10, according to notoriously inaccurate CIA estimates. The government did disable the Yongbyon reactor, its key source of nuclear fuel, and blew up its cooling tower with the world...
...party nuclear talks with North Korea were gathering over the weekend to push forward on the next, critical step on the road to Pyongyang's ostensible nuclear disarmament: the plan for a verification program that would give the outside world confidence that North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il is abiding by his word to stand down his nukes. On Saturday, China's delegate to the talks announced that Pyongyang had in fact agreed to the broad outlines of a deal to let international inspectors visit North Korean nuclear sites, review documents and interview technical personnel. The North also said...
Back in early 2002, George Bush called North Korea a charter member of the axis of evil. This morning, the President gave Kim Jong Il one of the diplomatic plums the North Korean dictator has most sought: removal from both the State Sponsors of Terrorism list and the Trading with the Enemy Act. In short, Pyongyang is now off what one State Department official called "the ultimate bad guy list." Dropping North Korea from the terrorism roster will take effect 45 days after the Administration formally informs Congress of its decision...
...about when the North might expect to actually get assistance on a peaceful nuclear project - "basically, the message has been, when hell freezes over," says Cossa. But with North Korea having been officially taken off the bad guy list, this is likely to be the next item on Kim Jong Il's wish list. And it will probably be either Barack Obama or John McCain who decides whether to grant his wish...
...their national interest - to protect the regime and to ensure better lives for the people - to give up their nuclear-weapons program. We are very genuinely seeking reconciliation and peace on the Korean peninsula. And if it helps, I am ready to meet [North Korea's dictator Kim Jong Il] not just once but, if it yields good results, twice or three times if necessary...