Key events on Korean Peninsula nuclear issue

The United Nations (UN) Security Council on Saturday unanimously adopted a resolution imposing sanctions against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) for its recent nuclear test.

The DPRK rejected the resolution, and criticized the council for adopting "a coercive resolution while neglecting the nuclear threat and moves for sanctions and pressure of the United States against the DPRK."

The nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula surfaced in the early 1990s, when the United States, based on its satellite information, suspected that the DPRK had facilities for development of nuclear weapons. But Pyongyang denied it, saying it had neither the intention nor the capability to develop nuclear weapons.

After months of tough talks, the DPRK and the U.S. signed the Framework Agreement in Geneva in Oct. 1994. Under the accord, Pyongyang agreed to freeze its nuclear program in exchange for the construction of two nuclear reactors by the U.S.. Washington and its allies also promised to provide fuel oil to the DPRK before the reactors are built.

But the DPRK-U.S. nuclear dispute was far from over. In 2001, the Bush administration placed the DPRK on the list of the so-called "axis of evil" states and threatened preemptive strikes against it. Moreover, Washington repeatedly disclosed "evidence" about Pyongyang's alleged nuclear program and accused it of developing nuclear weapons.

In Oct. 2002, the U.S. said the DPRK had admitted to U.S. special envoy James Kelly that it had a program to enrich uranium. The DPRK responded by claiming that it had the right to develop nuclear weapons.

The situation deteriorated in December 2002, when the U.S. stopped shipping fuel oil deliveries to the DPRK, charging that the DPRK has violated the Geneva accord. In response, the DPRK announced its withdrawal from the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty in Jan. 2003.

To resolve the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue, in April 2003, China led international efforts to persuade the DPRK and the U.S. to hold three-way talks in Beijing on the nuclear issue of the Korean Peninsula.

In Aug. 2003, the first round of the six-party talks on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue was held in Beijing between China, the DPRK, the United States, Russia, South Korea and Japan.

In Sept. 2005, the second phase of the fourth round of the six-party talks was held in Beijing. In a joint statement issued at the end of the talks, the DPRK promised to abandon all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs while the United States affirmed that it had no intention of attacking or invading the DPRK with nuclear or conventional weapons.

However, shortly after the fourth round of the six-party talks, Washington imposed financial restrictions on the DPRK, saying that Pyongyang's companies had been involved in illicit activities, including counterfeiting, money laundering and financing weapons proliferation, which, consequently, led to the DPRK refusal to return to the six-party talks.

On July 5, 2006, the DPRK test-fired several missiles, prompting the UN Security Council to adopt Resolution 1695, urging Pyongyang to reestablish its preexisting commitments to a moratorium on missile launching.

On Oct. 3, the Foreign Ministry of the DPRK announced that the country would conduct a nuclear test "in the field of scientific research" in the future. On Oct. 9, the DPRK announced that it had conducted a successful nuclear test.

Source: Xinhua