 | |
 North Korea |  United States |
|---|---|
| Diplomatic mission | |
| Permanent Mission of North Korea to the United Nations, New York City | Interests Section in theSwedish Embassy, Pyongyang |
| Envoy | |
| Permanent Representative to the UNKim Song [ko] | Special Representative for North KoreaJung H. Pak |
Relations betweenNorth Korea and theUnited States have been historically tense and hostile. The two countries have no formal diplomatic relations. Instead, they have adopted an indirect diplomatic arrangement using neutral intermediaries. TheSwedish Embassy inPyongyang is the U.S.protecting power and provides limited consular services to U.S. citizens. North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), does not have an embassy inWashington, D.C., but is represented in the United States through itsmission to the United Nations inNew York City which serves as North Korea'sde facto embassy.[1]
The source of the hostilities dates back to theKorean War in which both countries fought on opposite sides. Since thearmistice was signed, areas of contention have since revolved around North Korea'snuclear weapons program andmissile tests, North Korea'shuman rights record, U.S.sanctions against North Korea, and military exercises held by the U.S. and South Korea. Despite no formal diplomatic relations, both sides have maintained contact to deescalate tensions. According to the policy objectives of the U.S. State Department, "Peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula is the ultimate goal for the United States in its relationship with the DPRK".[1]
In recent years relations have been largely defined by heavy U.S. military presence inSouth Korea,[2] joint U.S.–South Korea military exercises in theSouth China Sea,[3] US economic sanctions against North Korea[4] forNorth Korea's nuclear program and North Korea's demand that the United States eliminate its nuclear arsenal that could reach the Korean peninsula.[5]
North Korea has conducted sixtests of nuclear weapons between 2006 and 2017. It has developed long-range missiles capable of striking targets thousands of miles away, possibly as far away as thecontinental United States,[6] and threatened to strike the United States (as recently as 2013)[7] andSouth Korea with nuclear weapons and conventional forces.
TheUnited States' nuclear weapons program in nearby Guam consists ofB-1B Lancer bombers andB-2 Spirit bombers capable of launching nuclear weapons "60 times more destructive thanthe bomb dropped on Nagasaki."[8] FromGuam, the U.S. conducts precision strike exercises to simulate a preemptive nuclear strike onNorth Korea.[8][9]
Since theKorean War, the United States has maintained astrong military presence in South Korea with 28,500 troops, 90 Patriot missiles and five military bases.[10]
The United States has not adopted aNo First Use nuclear weapons policy.[11] North Korea's stated policy position is that nuclear weapons "will never be abused or used as a means for preemptive strike", but if there is an "attempt to have recourse to military force against us" North Korea may use their "most powerful offensive strength in advance to punish them".[12]
In March 2025, Kim Jong-Un blamed the United States for instigating North Korea militarily and vowed retaliation.[13]
In a 2020YouGov poll conducted in the run-up to the US presidential election, the Washington-based Korea Economic Institute (KEI) of America, which commissioned the poll, reported only 31% of respondents approved of PresidentDonald Trump's diplomatic overtures to North Korea, though a senior director at KEI conjectured support for diplomatic relations was weakened by Trump's callingKim Jong Un, North Korea's leader, a "friend" and saying "they fell in love with each other."[14]
Support among the American public forUS forces to defend South Korea has increased steadily. While it was at a mere 26% in 1990, it nearly tripled to 62% in 2017, and in 2020, more than six in 10 Americans viewed the U.S. military alliance with South Korea as advantageous, with over half[clarification needed] wanting to maintain the US troop level at nearly 30,000 soldiers.[14] In 2017, a majority of the American public also had a positive view ofMoon Jae-in, theSouth Korean President,[15] who in 2018 supported a formal declaration to end the U.S.–North Korean war.[16]
As relations with Korea waxed hot and cold underPresident Trump, American public opinion regarding North Korea likewise fluctuated sharply, and no clear picture emerges.[17] In a 2020Gallup Poll, only 12% of the Americans surveyed gave North Korea a positive rating.[18]
AHarris poll published in 2023 found that 68% of United States respondents believed that Joe Biden should offer direct talks with Kim Jong-Un.[19] 58% agreed that the United States should offer North Korea with economic or diplomatic incentives in exchange for steps towardsde-nuclearization.[19]
In July 2024, North Korea dismissed Trump's claims of a close relationship with Kim Jong-un as ineffective, emphasizing that their bond didn't lead to substantial changes. Pyongyang reiterated that future DPRK-US relations depend on US actions, urging a shift in policy. Despite Trump's summits with Kim, no lasting diplomatic progress was achieved.[20]
Following World War II, theUnited Nations divided Korea along the38th parallel, intending this as a temporary measure. A breakdown in relations between the U.S. andUSSR, however, prevented a reunification.[21] As a result, in August 1945, the U.S. and U.S.S.R. divided control over the Korean Peninsula, with the Soviet Army and its proxies supporting a communist government in the North and the U.S. supporting a capitalist government in the South.[22]
On September 9, 1948,Workers' Party of Korea leaderKim Il Sung declared theDemocratic People's Republic of Korea; he promptly received diplomatic recognition from the Soviet Union, but not the United States. The U.S. did not extend, and has never extended formal diplomatic recognition to the DPRK. Kim Il-Sung'santi-American rhetoric often asserted that the U.S. was acapitalist andimperialist successor toJapan, Korea'scolonial occupier from 1910 to 1945.[23] In December 1950, the United States initiated economic sanctions against the DPRK under theTrading with the Enemy Act,[24] which lasted until 2008.[25]
On June 25, 1950, 75,000 soldiers from theKorean People's Army crossed the38th Parallel to invade South Korea, starting the Korea War, the first military action of theCold War[26] between the United States and the Soviet Union. After two months, North Korea had nearly conquered South Korea, however, US-led United Nations forces were able to push them back and in October 1950, they invaded North Korea and advanced towards the Chinese border prompting a full-scale Chinese intervention which forcedUN forces to retreat from North Korea. The final two years of the war turned into awar of attrition along the 38th parallel.[27] An estimated three million soldiers and civilians lost their lives[28][29] in what has been termed "The Forgotten War" sandwiched betweenWorld War II and theVietnam War.[30] American GeneralCurtis LeMay, who was head of theStrategic Air Command during the war, stated in a 1988 interview to Air Force historians that "Over a period of three years or so we killed off, what, 20 percent of the population of Korea, as direct casualties of war or from starvation and exposure?"[31] During the war, theU.S. carpet bombed North Korea, dropping 635,000 tons of bombs on Korea, including 32,557 tons of napalm — more than the United States used in thePacific War against Japan during World War II.[30]
In 1950, when PresidentHarry S. Truman was concerned about the ChinesePeople's Volunteer Army seizing South Korea,[32] he said dropping anatomic bomb on North Korea was under "active consideration." GeneralDouglas MacArthur, who headed theUnited Nations Command during the Korean War, wanted to drop “between 30 and 50 atomic bombs ... strung across the neck of Manchuria” that would have “spread behind us ... a belt of radioactive cobalt.”[30]B-29 bombers, capable of carrying atomic bombs, were sent to Guam, though the bombs lacked a plutonium core.[33] Historians theorize the US, which had usedatomic weapons at the end of WWII against the Japanese cities ofHiroshima andNagasaki, chose not to use nuclear weapons during the Korean War for multiple reasons: fear of escalation to a third World War; opposition from U.S. allies; lack of large urban centers to target in North Korea.[34]
Public support in the United States to commit ground troops to Korea was at first, remarkably high. In June 1950, 78% of Americans said they approved of Truman's decision to send military aid, and 15% disapproved. But by January 1951, public support for the war had plummeted to 38%.[35]
In 1953, the United Nations Command, North Korea, and China signed the Korean War Armistice Agreement for exchanging prisoners of war, marking a north–south boundary within a demilitarized zone, and suspending fighting.[36] A formal peace treaty, however, was never signed.[36]
In 1953, the U.S. signed amutual security treaty, promising to defend South Korea from North Korean aggression by stationingU.S. troops along theKorean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and including South Korea under the U.S.nuclear umbrella. The U.S. pledged to usenuclear weapons to deter and, if necessary, prevail in an attack on the South.[37] In 1991, the U.S. removed itstactical nuclear weapons from the Korean peninsula[38] after North Korea conditioned international inspections on their removal.[39]
In the early 1960s, several American soldiers defected to North Korea. Only one defector,Charles Jenkins, returned to the U.S. and faced a U.S. military court, pleading guilty to charges ofdesertion and aiding the enemy.Jerry Parrish,Larry Abshier andJames Dresnok died of natural causes in North Korea.[40]
Some leafleting of North Korea was resumed after theheavy leafleting that took place in the Korean War, such Operation Jilli from 1964 to 1968. One leaflet was on one side a successful reproduction of aNorth Korean one won note, about six weeks' pay for an ordinary North Korean soldier, and on the other a safe conduct pass for defection to the south. The rationale was to allow soldiers to easily hide the pass, but the quality was sufficient for it to gain some use as a fraudulent banknote in North Korea.[41]
On January 23, 1968,Korean People's Navy patrol boats intercepted theUnited States Navy spy shipUSS Pueblo in disputed waters, capturing and transferring the crew of 83 men to Pyongyang for imprisonment and torture. After almost a year of coerced confessions, beatings and a staged news conference, the crew was released following a negotiated settlement in which the U.S. apologized and pledged to stop spying on North Korea.[42]
On April 15, 1969, the U.S. Navy spy plane[43]EC-121 was shot down over theSea of Japan by North Korea; 31 American service men died. Historians theorize PresidentRichard Nixon, embroiled in the Vietnam War, chose not to retaliate for fear of escalating the conflict to involve the Soviet Union and China.[43]
On August 18, 1976, US Army CaptainArthur Bonifas and Lieutenant Mark Barrett were killed by the KPA with axes atPanmunjom when the Americans, over objections of North Koreans,[44] continued trimming a tree that blocked the view of theUnited States Army–Republic of Korea Army military unit patrolling theJoint Security Area—an intensely guarded and combative area in the middle of the DMZ separating North and South Korea.[45] PresidentGerald Ford responded with ashow of force, authorizing DEFCON 3, a high state of military readiness.[45] The North Korean government backed down and allowed the tree-cutting to go ahead in what the U.S. military termed "Operation Paul Bunyan."[44] North Korean supreme leaderKim Il Sung said the incidents in the Joint Security Area were "regretful" but stopped short of meeting U.S. demands for a formal apology.[45]
North Korea and the United States had little to no relations during this time, except through the structures created by theKorean Armistice Agreement.[46]
Nonetheless, in the subsequent years,Kim Il Sung met with high-profile political and religious figures including US House RepresentativeStephen Solarz (D-NY) and ReverendBilly Graham. Kim had granted an interview toSelig S. Harrison ofThe Washington Post andHarrison Salisbury ofThe New York Times back in 1972.[47]
In 1994, North Korea blocked international inspectors from verifying the regime's adherence to theNuclear Nonproliferation Treaty. The Bill Clinton administration believed that the North Koreans were processing plutonium from a reactor to build two atomic bombs.[48]
President Clinton recalled that "I was determined to prevent North Korea from developing a nuclear arsenal, even at the risk of war".[48] Declassified Clinton-era documents illustrate that the administration had planned for a possible war during the1994 nuclear crisis.[49]
According to former Pentagon officials, the Clinton administration drew plans to strike the North Koreanuclear reactor at Yongbyon.[50]
President Clinton then soughtJimmy Carter's assistance in a North Korea peace mission, during which Carter negotiated an understanding with Kim.[51][52] Carter outlined a treaty with Kim, which he announced to CNN without the Clinton administration's consent to spur American diplomatic action.[53]
In December 1994 a USOH-58 Kiowa helicopter was shot down over North Korea, a pilot died and another was captured by North Korea and held for 13 days.[54]
In December 2002,Spanish Navy troops, at the request of the U.S., boarded and detained a shipment ofScud missiles from North Korea destined forYemen. After two days, following protests from Yemen and North Korea, the United States released the ship to continue its shipment to Yemen. This further strained the relationship between the US and North Korea, with North Korea characterizing the boarding an "act ofpiracy."[55]
In September 2005, the US alleged that North Korea produced $15–25 million worth of counterfeit Federal Reservesupernotes[56] over several years for worldwide distribution in a "direct attack on a protected U.S. asset.".[57][58] Some governments questioned whether the DPRK had the capability to produce such high-quality notes.
Additionally, the U.S. accusedBanco Delta Asia, a bank inMacau, of laundering money for North Korea's nuclear program, though the bank called the accusation a joke.[59] In 2007, an audit byErnst & Young found no evidence that Macau banks had facilitated North Korean money-laundering.[60]
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At various times during the Bush administrationDong Moon Joo, the president ofThe Washington Times, undertook unofficial diplomatic missions to North Korea in an effort to improve relations.[61]
On February 13, 2007, agreement in theSix-Party Talks – among the United States, the two Koreas, Japan, China, and Russia – called for other actions besides a path toward a denuclearized Korean peninsula. It also outlined steps toward the normalization of political relations withPyongyang, a replacement of theKorean Armistice Agreement with a peace treaty, and the building of a regional peace structure forNortheast Asia.[62]
In exchange for substantial fuel aid, North Korea agreed to shut down theYongbyon nuclear facility. The United States also agreed to begin discussions onnormalization of relations with North Korea, and to begin the process of removing North Korea from its list ofstate sponsors of terrorism.[63][64][65] The US Chief NegotiatorChristopher R. Hill stated North Korea has adhered to its commitments.[citation needed] The sixth round of talks commencing on March 19, 2007, discussed the future of the North Korean nuclear weapons program.[66]
In early June 2008, the United States agreed to start lifting restrictions after North Korea began the disarming process. PresidentGeorge W. Bush announced he would remove North Korea from the list of state sponsors of terrorism after North Korea released a 60-page declaration of its nuclear activities. Shortly thereafter North Korean officials demolished the nuclear reactor at Yongbyon, considered a symbol of North Korea's nuclear program.[67] The Bush administration praised the progress, but was criticized by many, including some within the administration, for settling for too little.[68]
The United States public has historically favored diplomatic approaches over military ones in regards to North Korea. One study found that in 2004 the way the US government and the news media framed North Korea, led to such increased support for a non-military solutions among the American people.[69]
| The Mogadishu Encounter | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofGlobal War on Terrorism | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United States North Korea | Somali pirates | ||||||
On November 4, 2007,Dai Hong Dan, a North Korean merchant vessel, was attacked bySomali pirates off the coast ofMogadishu who forced their way aboard, posing as guards.[70] As U.S. Navy ships patrolling the waters moved to respond, the 22 North Korean seamen fought the eight Somali pirates in hand-to-hand combat.[71] With aid from the crew of the United States Navy destroyerUSSJames E. Williams and a helicopter, the ship was freed, and permission was given to the U.S. crew to treat the wounded crew and pirates. This resulted in favorable comments from U.S. envoy in Beijing,Christopher R. Hill,[72] as well as an exceedingly rare pro-U.S. statement in theNorth Korean press:
We feel grateful to the United States for its assistance given to our crewmen. This case serves as a symbol of the DPRK-U.S. cooperation in the struggle against terrorism.[73][74]
The favorable result of the incident occurred at an important moment, as the North Koreans moved to implement the February 13 agreement with the acquiescence of the Bush administration,[75] and the2007 South Korean presidential election loomed, with the North Koreans taking pains to emphasize a more moderate policy.
In February 2008, theNew York Philharmonic visited North Korea. The concert was broadcast onKorean Central Television.[76]
American-North Korean relations have further been strained by the arrest of two American journalists on March 17, 2009. The two journalists,Euna Lee andLaura Ling ofCurrent TV, were arrested on theChina–North Korea border while supposedly filming a documentary on thetrafficking of women and allegedly crossing into North Korea in the process. North Korea subsequently tried the two journalists amid international protests and found them guilty of the charges, and sentenced them to twelve years of hard labor.Reporters without Borders criticized the act as a "sham trial".[77][78][79]
The ordeal was finally resolved on August 4, when former PresidentBill Clinton arrived in Pyongyang in what he described as a "solely private mission" to secure the release of the two American journalists. He reportedly forwarded a message toGeneral Secretary of the Workers' Party of KoreaKim Jong Il from then-U.S. PresidentBarack Obama, butWhite House Press SecretaryRobert Gibbs denied this claim. Clinton's discussions with Kim were reportedly on various issues regarding American-North Korean relations. On August 5, Kim issued a formal pardon to the two American journalists, who subsequently returned toLos Angeles with Clinton. The unannounced visit by Clinton was the first by a high-profile American official since 2000, and is reported to have drawn praise and understanding by the parties involved.[80]
On May 24, 2010, the United States set plans to participate in new military exercises with South Korea as a direct military response to the sinking of a South Korean warship by what officials called a North Korean torpedo.[81]
On May 28, 2010, the official (North)Korean Central News Agency stated that "it is the United States that is behind the case of 'Cheonan.' The investigation was steered by the U.S. from its very outset." It also accused the United States of manipulating the investigation and named the administration of U.S. PresidentBarack Obama directly of using the case for "escalating instability in the Asia-Pacific region, containing big powers and emerging unchallenged in the region." The report indicated to the United States to "behave itself, mindful of the grave consequences."[82]
In July 2010, the DPRK government indefinitely postponed a scheduled talk atPanmunjom relating to the sinking.[83] The meeting was intended as preparation for future talks at higher governmental levels.[83][needs update]
Kim Jong-Il died December 17, 2011 and was succeeded by his son,Kim Jong Un. On March 16, 2012, North Korea announced it would launch itsKwangmyŏngsŏng-3 satellite to mark the 100th anniversary of the lateKim Il-sung's birthday. This announcement triggered American anxiety as satellite launches are technologically contiguous with missile launches.[84] This tampered with Kim Jong Un's earlier optimistic overtures and generated speculation on the issues confronting the new and young leader back in North Korea.[85] The United States also suspended food aid to North Korea in retaliation for the missile plans.[86]
Daniel Russel, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director of Asia, and Sydney Seiler flew toPyongyang fromGuam in August 2012 and stayed there for two days.[87] A South Korean diplomatic source said "apparently PresidentBarack Obama, who was then bidding for a second term in office, secretly sent the officials to North Korea to minimize disruptions to theU.S. presidential election."[87] Other analysts say, "Nobody can rule out that such direct dialogue between Washington and Pyongyang will continue in the future."[87]
However, on December 11, 2012, North Korea successfully launched a missile in contrast to its failure in March. The United States strongly condemned the action as it was widely believed that North Korea was developinglong-range ballistic missile that could reach theWest Coast of the United States.
On March 29, 2013, Kim Jong Un threatened the United States by "declaring that rockets were ready to be fired at American bases in the Pacific."[88] The declaration was in response to twoB2 stealth bombers that flew over the Korean peninsula on the day before.[89] After Jong-un's declaration, the Pentagon called for anadvanced missile defense system to the western Pacific on April 3. United States Secretary of Defense,Chuck Hagel, said that North Korea posed "a real and clear danger" to not only the United States, but Japan and South Korea as well. The deployment of the battery to the US territory of Guam is the biggest demonstration yet that Washington regards the confrontation with North Korea as more worrying than similar crises of the past few years. It also suggested they are preparing for long standoff.[90] While visiting Seoul, South Korea on April 12, 2013,United States Secretary of StateJohn Kerry said "North Korea will not be accepted as a nuclear power",[91] and that a missile launch by North Korea would be a "huge mistake".[92] On April 18, 2013, North Korea issued conditions for which any talks would take place with Washington D.C. or Seoul.[93] They included lifting United Nations sanctions and an end to United States-South KoreanKey Resolve military exercises.[94]
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On April 26, 2013, North Korea said it had arrestedKenneth Bae, a U.S. citizen, for committing an unspecified crime against the country.[97] On May 2, 2013, Bae was convicted of "hostile acts" and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor.[98] The U.S. has called for his release but North Korea has rejected any possibility of allowing prominent Americans to visit the country to request his release.[99]Dennis Rodman, who had previously visited North Korea and become friends with Kim Jong Un, tweeted a plea for Bae's release.[100] Rodman said he would visit North Korea again in August and attempt to free Bae.[101][needs update]
On May 2, 2014, Pyongyang'sKorean Central News Agency (KCNA) released an article composed of four essays written by North Korean citizens. The content of the article carried heavy criticism and racist remarks towards U.S. PresidentBarack Obama.[102]
Two American citizens were detained in North Korea in June 2014, accused of "hostile acts".[103] On July 28, 2014, theUnited States House of Representatives voted to pass theNorth Korea Sanctions Enforcement Act of 2013 (H.R. 1771; 113th Congress), but it was never passed by the Senate.[104] On August 20, 2014, during annual U.S.–South Korea military drills, a spokesman for the North Korean government referred toSecretary of StateJohn Kerry as a "wolf donning the mask of sheep", the latest in an exchange of taunts between U.S., South Korean, and North Korean government officials. In January 2015, U.S. PresidentBarack Obama indicated that he believed that over time the North Korean government will collapse.[105] On July 28, 2016, a North Korean top diplomat for U.S. affairs claimed that the United States crossed the "red line" for putting leader Kim Jong Un on its list of sanctioned individuals, which was perceived by officials as the United States declaring war.[106]
On May 24, 2015, International Women's Day for Disarmament, thirty women—including US feminist leaderGloria Steinem, two Nobel Peace laureates and retired U.S. ColonelAnn Wright—from 15 countries linked arms with 10,000 Korean women, stationing themselves on both sides of the DMZ to urge a formal end to the Korean War (1950–1953), the reunification of families divided during the war, and a peace building process with women in leadership positions to resolve decades of hostility.[107]
In the weeks leading up to crossing the DMZ, Steinem told the press, "It's hard to imagine any more physical symbol of the insanity of dividing human beings."[107]
On the day of the crossing, South Korea refused to give the women permission to walk through Panmunjom, a border town where the 1953 truce was signed, so the women had to eventually cross the border by bus. Nevertheless, Steinem labeled the crossing a success. "We have accomplished what no one said can be done, which is to be a trip for peace, for reconciliation, for human rights and a trip to which both governments agreed."[108]
In 2017, tensions mounted asU.S. PresidentDonald Trump weighed military options against North Korea's ballistic missile program.[109] In the second week of April 2017, global media outlets[109][110] erroneously reported that theUSSCarl Vinsonsupercarrier had been deployed to theSea of Japan heading towards North Korea, as a result of confusion created by a "miscommunication" between the "Pentagon and theWhite House." A premature announcement on April 8 from the Navy led to a "glitch-ridden sequence of events".[111] On April 17 North Korea's deputyUnited Nations ambassador accused the United States of "turning the Korean peninsula into "the world's biggest hotspot" and the North Korean government stated "its readiness to declare war on the United States if North Korean forces were to be attacked."[112] PresidentDonald Trump called Mr Kim "Little Rocket Man" and a "sick puppy", and promised that continued North Korean threats to America "will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen". President Trump has at times called diplomacy with the Kim regime "a waste of time".[113] In reality on April 18, theCarl Vinson and its escorts were 3,500 miles from Korea engaged in scheduled jointRoyal Australian Navy exercises in the Indian Ocean.[111][114][115] TheCarl Vinson aircraft carrier had been in theSouth China Sea in 2015 and again in February 2017 on routine patrols.[116] In late April 2017, Trump stated that "[t]here is a chance that we [the United States] could end up having a major, major conflict with North Korea".[117] According toNew York Times correspondentMichael S. Schmidt, Trump proposed using a nuclear weapon against North Korea and blaming the attack on another country, but was dissuaded byJohn F. Kelly.[118] In July 2017,U.S. Secretary of StateRex Tillerson authorized a "Geographical Travel Restriction" which banned Americans from entering North Korea.[119] On August 30, 2018, the ban was extended until August 31, 2019.[120]
An American citizen by the name of Tony Kim, also known by theKorean name of Kim Sang-duk, was detained while attempting to leave North Korea throughPyongyang International Airport.[121] In January 2016, an American student,Otto Warmbier, was detained at Pyongyang International Airport after allegedly attempting to steal a propaganda poster from his hotel. The other members of his tour group, which including several U.S. citizens, were allowed to leave without incident. Hotel security footage allegedly showed Warmbier going into a staff-only area of the hotel and removing the poster from the wall. In March 2016, he was sentenced to 15 years ofhard labor,[122] but in June 2017 was released from North Korea, having suspiciously fallen into a coma-like state. He died a few days after being repatriated to the U.S.[123] North Korea claimed that they had nothing to do with his death. The China-based travel company that took Warmbier to North Korea as part of a tourist group stated that it would no longer accept U.S. citizens on its tours to avoid similar incidents.[124] After Americans heard about Warmbier's death, 49% wanted the administration to act, while 35% did not. Of those Americans who wanted action to be taken, the most popular response was for the U.S. to tighten sanctions on North Korea, and the second most popular was a total travel ban between the two countries. United States military action was the least popular response.[125]
In August 2017,The Washington Post reported on a confidential assessment carried out by the U.S.Defense Intelligence Agency which suggested that North Korea had successfully developed nuclear warheads for missiles within reach of the US mainland.[126] Reacting to the report President Trump stated that future threats would be "met with fire and fury and frankly power, the likes of which this world has never seen before." In response North Korea announced that it was examining an operational plan to strike areas around theU.S. territory ofGuam in the Pacific, including theAndersen Air Force Base.[127] Officials stated thatJoseph Y. Yun, theUS envoy for North Korea policy, andPak Song-il, a senior North Korean diplomat at the country's UN mission, were making regular contact during this dispute, through a conduit of communication they called theNew York channel.[128]
On August 8, 2017, President Trump suggested that the United States was prepared to inflict "fire and fury" against North Korea if they failed to cease nuclear testing and threats.[129] In response, North Korea issued a series of threats against the U.S. territory of Guam as well as allies such as Japan and South Korea. Two missiles were flown over Japanese territory and anuclear test was conducted.[130]
In a speech to theUnited Nations General Assembly in September 2017, Trump threatened to "totally destroy" North Korea if the United States were "forced to defend itself or its allies"; he repeated his recent nickname for Kim Jong Un as "Rocket Man".[131] In response North Korean leaderKim Jong Un called the speech "unprecedented rude nonsense" and "mentally deranged behaviour".[132]
On September 23, 2017, the U.S. Military flewB-1B bombers from Guam, along withF-15C Eagle fighter escorts fromOkinawa, Japan flew in international airspace over waters east of North Korea. Unlike on previous missions, the U.S. aircraft were not accompanied by South Korean or Japanese planes. Afterward North Korea said a missile strike against the U.S. is "inevitable all the more".[133]
On September 30, 2017, U.S. Secretary of StateRex Tillerson said the U.S. and North Korea were in "direct contact", and "probing" the possibility of talks.[134]
On October 9, 2017,US Air ForceB-1 bombers carried out mock missile launches off both coasts of South Korea. Two bombers operating out ofAndersen Air Force Base in Guam carried out the drills along with fighter jets from theSouth Korean andJapan militaries. This was the first nighttime B-1 bomber exercise between the three allies.[135]
On November 28, 2017, North Korea fired anintercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) and it was the first such launch from the rogue regime in more than two months. The missile, believed to be an ICBM by the U.S. Military, was launched fromSain Ni, North Korea and flew roughly 620 miles before landing in theSea of Japan.[136]
On March 8, 2018, following a meeting with President Trump, South Korean diplomatChung Eui-yong revealed that Kim Jong Un had expressed "eagerness" to meet with the President, and that his offer had been accepted, with ameeting proposed to take place before May.[137] The move was described by South Korean PresidentMoon Jae-in as a "miracle." The meeting had been scheduled to be held on June 12 in Singapore,[138] although after military exercises between the United States and South Korea, Kim Jong Un threatened to pull out of the summit,[139] and on May 24 President Trump cancelled it.[140] On June 1, 2018, Trump announced that the summit was "back on" for June 12 in Singapore after meeting with North Korean officials at the White House.[141] President Trump met with Chairman Kim on June 12. During the meeting, a historic agreement was signed between the two countries calling for North Korea to reaffirm its commitment to the2017 Panmunjom Declaration signed between North and South Korean to work towards completely denuclearizing the entire Korean Peninsula.[142] The agreement declared a new start to US-DPRK relations between the two countries to achieve "peace and prosperity" through cooperation on issues such as the recovery of POW/MIA remains.[143] Trump subsequently announced that war game exercises between the US and South Korean militaries would end.[144]
Thousands of U.S. military personnel went missing during the Korean war. Between 1990 and 2018, North Korea returned the remains of 340 soldiers, but about 7,700 bodies were still unaccounted for.[145] The June 12, 2018 summit between the US and North Korea included a vague agreement to begin repatriating American POW/MIA remains. One month later, North Korea returned 55 boxes to the US.[146] They were accompanied by the military identification tag of only one person,[147] but other servicemen could be identified through matching DNA, chest X-rays, and dental records.[148] By October 2019, it was reported that 35–40 servicemen had been identified.[149]
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North Korea's state media declared a new era of peace following the summit.[150] Reports emerged on June 23 that North Korea was removing anti-US propaganda.[151]
On June 24, Trump stated that North Korea still posed an 'extraordinary threat' to the US and maintained sanctions on the country despite declaring them no longer a threat the day following the summit.[152][153]
Secretary of StateMike Pompeo's first visit to North Korea in July 2018 invoked disgruntled remarks from Pyongyang that the Trump administration was using "unilateral and gangster-like demand for denuclearization".[154] Pompeo maintained that the July talks were "productive". However, theInternational Atomic Energy Agency has since stated North Korea is continuing with their nuclear program, and Trump announced the cancellation of Secretary of State Pompeo's scheduled visit in August 2018 to North Korea due to insufficient progress in the dismantling of North Korea's nuclear weapons program.[155]
Interactions between the Washington and Pyongyang continue to fluctuate following the September 2018United Nations General Assembly. In his speech, President Trump commended Kim Jong-Un for ceasing nuclear testing, dismantling several military facilities, releasing American hostages, and returning POW/MIA remains. Trump reaffirmed that sanctions will continue to be held on North Korea until denuclearization occurs.[156]
On February 22, 2019, at around 3 pm a group of 10 people carrying real or simulated weapons entered the North Korean embassy inMadrid, Spain. They rounded up the eight embassy staffers who were present, put bags on their heads, tied them up, beat several of them and interrogated them. They robbed mobile phones and computer drives. The assault lasted for two hours, until Spanish policemen entered the building and the attackers fled in two of the embassy's cars. On March 13, Spanishpolice andintelligence services identified two of the attackers asCIA operatives. The CIA denied any involvement.[157]
The2019 North Korea–United States Hanoi Summit was a two-daysummit meeting betweenNorth Korean Supreme LeaderKim Jong Un andU.S. PresidentDonald Trump, held inVietnam on February 27–28, 2019. The leaders had intended to hold a signing ceremony on February 28, but the summit ended without a signed agreement. North Korea immediately resumed rebuilding its long-range rockets at its Sohae Launch Facility.[158]
It was the second meeting between leaders of theNorth Korea andUnited States. It had been planned since the previous September,[159][160] and its location and date was announced during President Trump's third State of the Union on February 5, 2019.[161]
After the summit, President Trump said he believed North Korean leaderKim Jong Un's denial of personal knowledge about Otto Warmbier's treatment in North Korean custody. Trump contended that it was not to Kim's benefit to allow such abuse.[162]
On June 26, 2019, it was announced that talks were underway to hold a third US-North Korean summit.[163] President Trump previously contended in April 2019 that a third summit "would be good,"[164] On June 12, 2019,[165] President Trump announced that he received a letter from Kim Jong Un which he described as "beautiful".[166][165] On June 22, 2019,[167] an undated photo was also released by the North Korean government of Kim Jong Un reading a letter from President Trump.[166] Kim described the letter as "excellent" and described President Trump as the "supreme leader" of the United States.[166] However, Kim later denied that talks were still being held between North Korea and the United States, and relations still remained tense between North Korea and the US State Department.[168]
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On June 30, 2019, President Trump met with Kim along withMoon Jae-in at the DMZ and briefly crossed theborder line into the North Korean side of the DMZ, making him the first sitting U.S. president to enterNorth Korea;[169] former US Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton had previously visited North Korea after they left office.[170] After crossing into North Korea, Trump and Kim, who stated through an interpreter "it's good to see you again", "I never expected to meet you at this place" and "you are the first US President to cross the border,"[171] met and shook hands.[171] Both men then briefly crossed the larger border line before crossing into South Korea.[171] During their meeting, President Trump also invited Kim to the White House, although later acknowledged that it probably wouldn't happen in the near term.[172]
It was also revealed that Trump's daughterIvanka and her husbandJared Kushner had visited North Korea to meet with Kim beforehand and acted as lead American diplomats during the summit.[173] Footage of Ivanka meeting with Kim was broadcast by the North Korean media.[174] Ivanka also described her visit to North Korea as "surreal."[173]
In early 2019, aSEAL Team Six raid on North Korea failed to achieve its objective of planting a listening device that could intercept government communications after the SEALs opened fire on a civilian boat, killing 2 or 3 people.[175]
On September 10, 2019, Trump said he fired National Security AdviserJohn Bolton as he strongly disagreed with Bolton's suggestion about applyingLibyan model to North Korea.[176] However, Bolton himself said he was not fired but resigned.[177][178] Trump selected hostage negotiator with DPRKRobert C. O'Brien as the newNational Security Adviser.[179][180][181][182][183]
Talks in Stockholm began on 5 October 2019 between US and North Korean negotiating teams. After one day, the North Koreans said that talks had broken down, blaming US inflexibility. The US team, however, said discussions were good, and would be resumed in two weeks.[184] On October 7, 2019, North Korea's chief negotiator Kim Myong Gil cautioned about a "terrible" event that might take place if the U.S. did not offer a better deal to Pyongyang. He said that the ball is currently in U.S.' court to resume dialogue.[185]
In December 2019,US Ambassador to the United NationsKelly Craft said during a meeting of the UN Security Council that was called at her request that the US was prepared to take "simultaneous steps" with North Korea to achieve peace.[186][187] But she also warned the North Koreans against conducting further missile tests.[186][187]
In April 2020, U.S.Rewards for Justice Program offered $5 million for information leading to identify North Korean hackers threatening the United States.[188]
As of May 2020, North Korea has shown no indication that it is willing to unilaterally denuclearize as per U.S. intentions.[189]
On June 12, 2020, the second anniversary of theSingapore summit, the North Korean Minister of Foreign Affairs released a press statement that the Trump administration efforts in the past two years were for political achievements without returns for North Korea and "Nothing is more hypocritical than an empty promise."[190][191] North Korea subsequently cut communications with South Korea, demolished the four-story joint-liaison office building it shared with South Korea on June 17, and ceased efforts for diplomatic relations with the United States.[192]
In an article written in the Hankyoreh daily newspaper in July 2020,Moon Chung-in, Special Advisor to South Korean President Moon Jae-in, argues that the hardline approach of John Bolton and other US figures concerning North Korean disarmament will lead to eventual war, not peace. He believes a more effective approach towards North Korean denuclearization is for the two Koreas to work together economically until both sides depend on each other enough to be invested in each other's national security.[193]
In early 2021, the United States under the presidency ofJoe Biden attempted a new outreach to North Korea,[194] to which they were unresponsive.[195] On 18 March, theKorean Central News Agency put out a statement by North Korean first vice minister of Foreign AffairsChoe Son-hui acknowledging attempts at contact, and stating that North Korea would continue to ignore such attempts in the future. In it, she also criticized the United States for continuing military drills and maintaining sanctions against North Korea,[196] and said that "no dialogue would be possible until the United States rolled back its hostile policy toward North Korea and both parties were able to exchange words on an equal basis."[197]
In October 2021, Kim Jong Un said the United States was a continuing source of hostility, and he made a public appearance in a showroom of advanced weapons. These weapons included one that Kim identified as a newly tested type ofhypersonic missile that is difficult to shoot down; a new type of low-flyingcruise missile; and what may be the world's largest, but still untested,intercontinental ballistic missile.[198]
On February 26, 2022, North Korea's foreign ministry stated that the US measures that "disregard" Russian security concerns are a "root cause of theUkrainian crisis," in its first remark since Moscow launched a military invasion of its neighbour days earlier.[199]
On March 5, 2022, North Korea conducted its ninth weapons test of the year, shooting a suspected ballistic missile into the sea east of the Korean peninsula, just days before the presidential election in South Korea. The launch was met with condemnation from the US, South Korea, and Japan, which worry the North is planning a major nuclear test in the coming months.[200]
On March 11, 2022, after North Korea launched elements of its largest intercontinental ballistic missile in two recent tests, the US Treasury Department imposed fresh penalties.[201]
In May 2022, the United States and South Korea announced expanded military exercises, which according to South Korean military officials would involve field training for the first time since 2018. A North Korean foreign ministry-run think tank stated that these exercises will create "unprecedented instability security-wise."[202]
In December 2024, the plenary session of theCentral Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea adopted what it called its "most hardline anti-U.S. response strategy", condemning its "anti-communist" policies and calling it the "most reactionary national entity". It also condemned America's alliances with Japan and South Korea as a "an aggressive nuclear military bloc" and called South Korea a "ardent anti-communist outpost". It said the policy would "strongly implemented for the prospective national interests and security guarantee of the DPRK".[203]
On February 20, 2025, North Korea criticized the U.S. over theAUKUS nuclear submarine deal, claiming it was a threat to their regional stability and peace. TheKCNA claimed that the U.S. aimed forregional hegemony, and warned that thenuclear states won’t sit by idly.[204]
North Korea test-fired strategic cruise missiles on February 26, 2025, to demonstrate its nuclear counter-attack capabilities, following its vow to respond to U.S. actions it deemed hostile. These launches came after heightened military provocations from the U.S. and its allies, including joint exercises with South Korea. The missile tests marked the fourth of the year and were overseen byKim Jong Un. North Korea emphasized its readiness for a nuclear counterattack, with Kim expressing satisfaction over the results. Despite Trump’s outreach, North Korea remains preoccupied with supporting Russia in its war against Ukraine, and experts suggest diplomacy with the U.S. is unlikely unless the situation with Russia changes.[205]
In July 2025,Kim Yo Jong signalled openness to re-engage via talks with Washington on the condition that that the DPRK is accepted as a nuclear-armed state, stating that denuclearisation talks would be deemed a "mockery." This was in response to White House Press SecretaryKaroline Leavitt a month prior expressing Trump's desire to build on "progress" made at the2018 Singapore summit.[206]
On September 5, 2025, the New York Times reported that aunsuccessful covert action to place listening devices in North Korean territory had resulted in the deaths of two or three North Korean civilians.[207]
From January 1958 through 1991, the United States held nuclear weapons due to its diplomatic and military influence in South Korea for possible use against North Korea, peaking in number at some 950 warheads in 1967.[208] Reports establish that these have since been removed but it has never confirmed by any independent 3rd party organization such as IAEA. The U.S. still maintains "the continuation of the extended deterrent offered by the U.S. nuclear umbrella".[209]
In September 1956, the U.S.Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of StaffAdmiral Radford told theU.S. Department of State that the U.S. military intention was to introduce atomic weapons into South Korea. In January 1957, theU.S. National Security Council began consideration of this proposal uponPresident Eisenhower's instruction, and then agreed to this. However, paragraph 13(d) of theKorean Armistice Agreement mandated that both sides should not introduce new types of weapons into South Korea, so preventing the introduction of nuclear weapons and missiles. The U.S. decided to unilaterally abrogate paragraph 13(d), breaking the Armistice Agreement, despite concerns by United Nations allies.[210][211] At a June 21, 1957 meeting of theMilitary Armistice Commission the U.S. informed the North Korean representatives that theU.N. Command no longer considered itself bound by paragraph 13(d) of the armistice.[212] In August 1957, NSC 5702/2[213] permitting the deployment of nuclear weapons in Korea was approved.[210] In January 1958 nuclear armedHonest John missiles and280mm atomic cannons were deployed to South Korea,[214] a year later adding nuclear-armedMatador cruise missiles with the range to reach China and the Soviet Union.[210][215]
North Korea denounced the abrogation of paragraph 13(d) as an attempt to wreck the armistice agreement and turn Korea into a U.S. atomic warfare zone. At theU.N. General Assembly in November 1957, the Soviet Union and Czechoslovakia condemned the decision of the United Nations Command to introduce nuclear weapons into Korea.[211]
North Korea responded militarily by digging massive underground fortifications, and forwarded deployment of its conventional forces for a possible counterattack against the United States forces stationed in South Korea. In 1963, North Korea asked the Soviet Union for help in developing nuclear weapons, but was refused. However, instead the Soviet Union agreed to help North Korea develop a peaceful nuclear energy program, including the training of nuclear scientists. China later, after its nuclear tests, similarly rejected North Korean requests for help with developing nuclear weapons.[210]
North Korea joined theNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear weapons state in 1985, and North andSouth Korean talks begun in 1990 resulted in a 1992 Denuclearization Statement. However, US intelligence photos in early 1993 led theInternational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to demand special inspection of the North's nuclear facilities, which prompted Kim Il Sung's March 1993 announcement of North Korea's withdrawal from the NPT.[216]UN Security Council resolution 825 from May 11, 1993, urged North Korea to cooperate with the IAEA and to implement the 1992 North-South Denuclearization Statement. It also urged all member states to encourage North Korea to respond positively to this resolution and to facilitate a solution of the nuclear issue.
U.S.–North Korea talks began in June 1993 but with lack of progress in developing and implementing an agreement, North Koreans unloaded the core of a major nuclear reactor, which could have provided enough raw material for several nuclear weapons.[216] With tensions high, Kim Il Sung invited former U.S. PresidentJimmy Carter to act as an intermediary. Carter accepted the invitation, but could only act as a private citizen not a government representative.[216] Carter managed to bring the two states to the negotiating table, with Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military AffairsRobert Gallucci representing the United States and North Korean Vice Foreign MinisterKang Sok-ju representing his country.[216]
The negotiators successfully reached the U.S.–North KoreaAgreed Framework in October 1994:
Historians Paul Lauren, Gordon Craig, and Alexander George point out that the agreement suffered from a number of weaknesses. There was no specific schedule made for reciprocal moves, and the United States was granted a very long time to fulfill its obligations to replace the dangerous graphite-moderated reactors with LWRs.[216] Furthermore, no organization was chosen "to monitor compliance, to supervise implementation ... or to make mid-course adjustments that might become necessary."[216] Finally, other interested nations, like South Korea, China, and Japan, were not included in the negotiations.[216]
Soon after the agreement was signed, U.S. Congress control changed to theRepublican Party, who did not support the agreement.[217] Some Republicansenators were strongly against the agreement, regarding it asappeasement.[218][219]
In accordance with the terms of the Agreed Framework, North Korea decided to freeze its nuclear program and cooperate with United States and IAEA verification efforts, and in January 1995 the U.S. eased economicsanctions against North Korea. InitiallyU.S. Department of Defense emergency funds not under Congress control were used to fund the transitional oil supplies under the agreement,[220] together with international funding. From 1996 Congress provided funding, though not always sufficient amounts.[221] Consequently, some of the agreed transitional oil supplies were delivered late.[222] KEDO's first director,Stephen W. Bosworth, later commented "The Agreed Framework was a political orphan within two weeks after its signature".[223]
In January 1995, as called for in the Agreed Framework, the United States and North Korea negotiated a method to safely store the spent fuel from the five-megawatt reactor. According to this method, U.S. and North Korean operators would work together to can the spent fuel and store the canisters in the spent fuel pond. Actual canning began in 1995. In April 2000, canning of all accessible spent fuel rods and rod fragments was declared complete.
North Korea agreed to accept the decisions of KEDO, the financier and supplier of the LWRs, with respect to provision of the reactors. International funding for the LWR replacement power plants had to be sought. Formal invitations to bid were not issued until 1998, by which time the delays were infuriating North Korea.[223] In May 1998, North Korea warned it would restart nuclear research if the U.S. could not install the LWR.[224] KEDO subsequently identifiedSinpo as the LWR project site, and a formal ground breaking was held on the site on August 21, 1997.[225] In December 1999, KEDO and the (South)Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO) signed theTurnkey Contract (TKC), permitting full scale construction of the LWRs, but significant spending on the LWR project did not commence until 2000.[226]
In 1998, the United States identified an underground site in Kumchang-ni, which it suspected of being nuclear-related following aDefense Intelligence Agency assessment. In March 1999, North Korea agreed to grant the U.S. "satisfactory access" to the site.[227] The U.S. inspection in spring 1999 showed that theDefense Intelligence Agency assessment was wrong.[228] In October 2000, during Special Envoy Jo Myong Rok's visit to Washington, and after two visits to the site by teams of U.S. experts, the U.S. announced in a Joint Communiqué with North Korea that U.S. concerns about the site had been resolved.
As called for in Dr. William Perry's official review of U.S. policy toward North Korea, the United States and North Korea launched new negotiations in May 2000 called theAgreed Framework Implementation Talks.
George W. Bush announced his opposition to the Agreed Framework during hiscandidacy in the2000 United States presidential election. Following hisinauguration in January 2001, thenew administration began a review of its policy toward North Korea. At the conclusion of that review, the administration announced on June 6, 2001, that it had decided to pursue continued dialogue with North Korea on the full range of issues of concern to the administration, including North Korea's conventional force posture, missile development and export programs, human rights practices, and humanitarian issues. As of that time, the Light Water Reactors (LWRs) promised in theAgreed Framework had not been delivered.[229] The two reactors were finally supplied by the Swiss-based companyABB in 2000 in a $200 million deal. The ABB contract was to deliver equipment and services for two nuclear power stations atKumho, on North Korea's east coast.Donald Rumsfeld, the US secretary of defense, was on the board of ABB when it won this deal, but aPentagon spokeswoman,Victoria Clarke, said that Rumsfeld does not recall it being brought before the board at any time.[230] Construction of these reactors was eventually suspended.
In 2002 the US Government announced that it would release $95m to North Korea as part of the Agreed Framework. In releasing the funding, President George W Bush waived the Framework's requirement that North Korea allow inspectors to ensure it has not hidden away anyweapons-grade plutonium from the original reactors. President Bush argued that the decision was "vital to the national security interests of theUnited States".[231]
In 2002, the administration asserted that North Korea was developing a uranium enrichment program for nuclear weapons purposes. American-DPRK tensions mounted when Bush categorized North Korea as part of the "Axis of Evil" in his 2002State of the Union address.
When U.S.-DPRK direct dialogue resumed in October 2002, this uranium-enrichment program was high on the U.S. agenda. North Korean officials acknowledged to a U.S. delegation, headed by Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific AffairsJames A. Kelly, the existence of the uranium enrichment program. Such a program violated North Korea's obligations under the NPT and its commitments in the 1992 North-South Denuclearization Declaration and the 1994 Agreed Framework. The U.S. side stated that North Korea would have to terminate the program before any further progress could be made in U.S.-DPRK relations. The U.S. side also claimed that if this program was verifiably eliminated, the U.S. would be prepared to work with DPRK on the development of a fundamentally new relationship. In November 2002, the members of KEDO agreed to suspend heavy fuel oil shipments to North Korea pending a resolution of the nuclear dispute.
FollowingKim Jong-il's death on December 17, 2011, his sonKim Jong Un inherited the regime. The latter announced on February 29, 2012, that North Korea will freeze nuclear tests, long-range missile launches, and uranium enrichment at its Yongbyon plant. In addition, the new leader invited international nuclear inspectors who were ejected in 2009. TheObama administration responded by offering 240,000 tonnes of food, chiefly in the form of biscuits. This indicated a softening of the west regarding North Korea's insistence that food aid must comprise grains.[232]
In late 2002 and early 2003, North Korea terminated the freeze on its existing plutonium-based nuclear facilities, expelled IAEA inspectors and removed seals and monitoring equipment, quit the NPT, and resumed reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel to extract plutonium for weapons purposes. North Korea subsequently announced that it was taking these steps to provide itself with a deterrent force in the face of U.S. threats and the U.S.'s "hostile policy". Beginning in mid-2003, the North repeatedly claimed to have completed reprocessing of the spent fuel rods previously frozen atYongbyon and lain cooperation with North Korea's neighbors, who have also expressed concern over the threat to regional stability and security they believe it poses. The Bush administration's stated goal is the complete, verifiable, and irreversible elimination of North Korea's nuclear weapons program. North Korea's neighbors have joined the United States in supporting a nuclear weapons-free Korean Peninsula. U.S. actions, however, had been much more hostile to normalized relations with North Korea, and the administration continued to suggestregime change as a primary goal. The Bush administration had consistently resisted two-party talks with the DPRK. A September 2005 agreement took place only after the Chinese government threatened to publicly accuse the U.S. of refusal to engage in negotiations.[citation needed]
In October 2024, Kim Jong Un visited North Korean missile bases, stressing the need for strong nuclear deterrence against U.S. threats and prioritizing missile modernization efforts.[233]
In early 2003, multilateral talks were proposed to be held among the six most relevant parties aimed at reaching a settlement through diplomatic means. North Korea initially opposed such a process, maintaining that the nuclear dispute was purely a bilateral matter between themselves and the United States. However, under pressure from its neighbors and with the active involvement ofChina, North Korea agreed to preliminary three-party talks with China and the United States inBeijing in April 2003.
After this meeting, North Korea then agreed tosix-party talks, between the United States, North Korea, South Korea, China,Japan, andRussia. The first round of talks were held in August 2003, with subsequent rounds being held at regular intervals. After 13 months of freezing talks between the fifth round's first and second phases, North Korea returned to the talks. This behavior was in retaliation for the US's action of freezing offshore North Korean bank accounts in Macau. In early 2005, the US government told its East Asia allies that Pyongyang had exported nuclear material toLibya. This backfired when Asian allies discovered that the US government had concealed the involvement ofPakistan; a key U.S. ally was the weapon's middle man. In March 2005,Condoleezza Rice had to travel to East Asia in an effort to repair the damage.[citation needed]
The third phase of the fifth round of talks held on February 8, 2007, concluded with a landmark action-for-action agreement. Goodwill by all sides has led to the US unfreezing all of the North Korean assets on March 19, 2007.[234]
As of October 11, 2008, North Korea has agreed to all U.S. nuclear inspection demands, and the Bush administration responded by removing North Korea from a terrorism blacklist despite the American government threatening to end negotiations.[235]
On October 11, 2008, the U.S. and North Korea secured an agreement in which North Korea agreed to resume disarmament of its nuclear program and once again allowed inspectors to conduct forensic tests of its available nuclear materials. The North also agreed to provide full details on its long-rumored uranium program. These latest developments culminated in North Korea's long-awaited removal from America's "State Sponsors of Terrorism" list on the same day.[236]
U.S. intelligence agencies confirmed that a test occurred.[237]Tony Snow, President George W. Bush'sWhite House Press Secretary, said that the United States would go to the United Nations to determine "what our next steps should be in response to this very serious step."[238] On Monday, October 9, 2006, President Bush stated in a televised speech that such a claim of a test is a "provocative act" and the U.S. condemns such acts.[239] President Bush stated that the United States is "committed to diplomacy" but will "continue to protectAmerica and America's interests." TheSix-Party Talks, below, resulted.
On May 25, 2009, American-North Korean relations further deteriorated when North Korea conducted yet another nuclear test, the first since the 2006 test. The test was once again conducted underground and exploded with a yield comparable to theLittle Boy andFat Man bombs that destroyedHiroshima andNagasaki, respectively. The United States reacted favorably to China and Russia's reactions, who condemned North Korea's actions even though they are both strong allies of North Korea. The U.S., along with all other members of the stalled six-party talks, strongly condemned the test and said that North Korea would "pay a price for its actions."
On January 24, 2013, officials in North Korea openly stated that they intended to plan out a third nuclear test. A written statement from theNational Defence Commission of North Korea stated "a nuclear test of higher level will target against the U.S., the sworn enemy of the Korean people." The United States intelligence community believes that, as of January 2013, North Korea has the capability to targetHawaii with its current technology and resources, and could reach thecontiguous United States within three years. TheWhite House has declared the Korean statement as "needlessly provocative" and that "further provocations would only increase Pyongyang's isolation."[240] Analysis of satellite photos done by the U.S.-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies of thePunggye-ri nuclear test site indicates that North Korea was readying for nuclear tests at the same time it issued the threat.[241] Later statements by North Korea included direct threats against South Korea as well, stating that North Korea "will take strong physical counter-measures against" the South in response to UN sanctions against the North.[242] A Gallup poll that was done in 2013 revealed that, "Americans (55%) said the U.S. should defend South Korea if it was attacked by its northern neighbor, while about a third (34%) said it should not."[243]
On February 12, 2013, North Korea conducted a third nuclear test.[244]
On January 6, 2016, North Korea conducted a fourth nuclear test. North Korean officials also announced that North Korean scientists have miniaturized nuclear weapons.[245]
In February 2016, PresidentBarack Obama enacted theNorth Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016, which passed the House of Representatives and the Senate with nearly unanimous support.[246] TheInquisitr reported: "In February, President Obama hit North Korea with a round of congressionally approved sanctions that severely limits the growth of the North Korean economy, a move that China criticized, stating that the sanctions could cripple North Korea's economy."[247]
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During Donald Trump'sfirst presidency, he and North Korean leaderKim Jong Un exchanged insults on numerous occasions. Trump often took to Twitter to talk about Kim Jong Un and the current North Korea situation. The situation had seriously elevated, worrying many Americans. A portion of Americans (22%) thought that North Korea posed a serious threat to theUnited States, while 60% of Americans thought it was no threat at all.[citation needed] Many Americans showed doubt and sometimes outright opposition to then-President Trump during the crisis.[citation needed] A plurality of Americans believed Trump lacked the responsibility to handle the North Korea situation, and many had more trust inU.S. military leaders than they did in Trump.[citation needed] Still, many Americans seemed to be unsure on who they are more comfortable with handling the situation. Americans were still hesitant ofmilitary action, as a majority of Americans still oppose preemptive military intervention.[citation needed] Top people within the military and government see this situation escalating to military action, while some still have hope that peace is possible.[citation needed] Still, the U.S. continues to impose sanctions on North Korea.[citation needed]
| Response | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Threat-serious | 70% |
| Threat-not serious | 13% |
| Does not pose threat | 14% |
| No opinion | 3% |
Q: How much do you trust Donald Trump to act responsibly in handling the situation involving North Korea – a great deal, a good amount, just some or not at all?
| Answer | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Great deal | 23% |
| Good amount | 14% |
| Just some | 20% |
| Not at all | 42% |
| No opinion | 1% |
Q: How much do you trust North Korean leader Kim Jong Un to act responsibly in handling the situation involving North Korea – a great deal, a good amount, just some or not at all?
| Answer | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A great deal | 4% |
| A good amount | 3% |
| Just some | 13% |
| Not at all | 76% |
| No opinion | 3% |
Q: How much do you trust U.S. military leaders to act responsibly in handling the situation involving North Korea – a great deal, a good amount, just some or not at all?
| Answer | Percentage |
|---|---|
| A great deal | 43% |
| A good amount | 29% |
| Just some | 20% |
| Not at all | 7% |
| No opinion | 2% |
Q: To try to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, would you support or oppose the U.S. offering North Korea financial incentives such as aid money, or more trade?
| Support | Oppose | |
|---|---|---|
| All adults | 32% | 61% |
| Registered voters | 31% | 63% |
Q: To try to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, would you support or oppose the U.S. bombing North Korean military targets?
| Support | Oppose | |
|---|---|---|
| All adults | 39% | 54% |
| Registered voters | 42% | 52% |
Q: To try to get North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons, would you support or oppose the U.S. agreeing to stop conducting U.S. military exercises with South Korea?
| Support | Oppose | |
|---|---|---|
| All adults | 43% | 47% |
| Registered voters | 40% | 51% |
Q: In general, should the U.S. (launch a military strike on North Korea first, before it can attack America or U.S. allies) or should the U.S. (only attack North Korea if it attacks America or U.S. allies)?
| U.S. should launch a military strike on North Korea first | U.S. should only attack if North Korea attacks first | |
|---|---|---|
| All adults | 23% | 67% |
| Registered Voters | 22% | 68% |
Q: If the U.S. launched a military strike on North Korea first, do you think it would or would not risk starting a larger war in East Asia? IF RISK: Do you think that would be a major risk; or a risk, but not major?(Results by all adults)
| Answer | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Risk, MAJOR | 69% |
| Risk, NOT MAJOR | 13% |
| Not a risk | 13% |
| No opinion | 5% |
However, although Americans are inclined to defensive and/or pacifist positions against North Korea, the Global Attitudes Survey conducted by thePew Research Center in the spring of 2017 suggests how a majority of Americans (64%) expects U.S. military intervention if one of its Pacific allies (particularly Japan and South Korea) were to come into military conflict with North Korea.[249] In contrast, the survey points to how 30% of Americans are opposed to such interventionism.[249] In both a parallel and comparative perspective, a majority of South Korean and Japanese citizens (91% and 82% respectively) also expect U.S. military intervention if their country was attacked by North Korea.[249]
In 2023, North Korea's state newspaperRodong Sinmun reported that approximately 800,000 students and employees nationwide voiced an interest in joining or reenlisting in the military to fight against the United States on Friday (17 March).[250]
In Korea, war in the early 1950s cost nearly 3 million lives, including nearly a million civilian dead in South Korea.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)The ban, which went into effect on Sept. 1, 2017, had been set to expire on Friday. It will be extended through Aug. 31, 2019, the State Department said in a notice to be published in the Federal Register on Friday.
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