29 August 2002
Text: Bolton Says North Korea Deserves "Axis of Evil" Title
(Under Secretary warns of Pyongyang's missile trade) (3251)
North Korea can either reform and shift away from destructive economic
and military policies or collapse due to its own contradictions, as
did the Soviet Union, according to Under Secretary of State for Arms
Control and International Security John Bolton.
Speaking in Seoul August 29 before the Korean-American Association,
Bolton reiterated President Bush's pledge to stand firmly beside the
Republic of Korea.
He contrasted a prosperous and democratic South Korea with the North's
failed communist dictatorship.
"North Korea is a self-created and self-perpetuated tragedy," Bolton
said.
"For decades Pyongyang has strangled its own economic development and
starved its people while building a massive military force armed with
missiles and weapons of mass destruction," he said.
The Pyongyang regime must choose whether it wants to have "a brighter
future" by changing in a fundamental way the manner in which "it
operates at home and abroad," Bolton said.
The Under Secretary cited the fate of the former Soviet Union, which
-- despite its arms and 30,000 nuclear warheads -- "still collapsed
due to its own contradictions."
The United States, with the Republic of Korea and Japan, is prepared
to "take big steps to help the North transform itself and move our
relations toward normalcy," Bolton said.
But for that to happen, he added, Pyongyang must improve its record on
many fronts.
The United States insists that Pyongyang "get out of the missile
proliferation business," Bolton said.
The communist regime "is the world's foremost peddler of ballistic
missile-related equipment, components, materials, and technical
expertise," he said.
Citing a report of the Central Intelligence Agency, Bolton quoted:
"'North Korea has assumed the role as the missile and manufacturing
technology source for many programs. North Korean willingness to sell
complete systems and components has enabled other states to acquire
longer range capabilities.'"
North Korean customers include such countries as Iran, Libya, and
Syria, Bolton said.
Bolton said that President Bush's use of the term "axis of evil" to
describe Iran, Iraq, and North Korea was "factually correct," noting
that there is "a hard connection between these regimes -- an 'axis' --
along which flow dangerous weapons and dangerous technology."
Bolton said the United States has had "serious concerns about North
Korea's nuclear weapons program for many years."
Referring to a report to the Congress, Bolton said North Korea "has
produced enough plutonium for at least one, and possibly two nuclear
weapons."
He noted the communist regime's unwillingness to submit to full
inspection of its nuclear program and sites by the International
Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) over the discrepancy between the amount of
plutonium that "may have been reprocessed at the Yongbyon facility and
the amount Pyongyang declared to the IAEA in 1992."
Bolton pointed out that the IAEA declared Pyongyang's explanations
"inadequate."
"As you recall, when the IAEA wanted to inspect waste sites in North
Korea in 1992 to help construct the history of the North's nuclear
program, the sites were deemed off-limits," he said.
If the communist regime's declarations to the IAEA were accurate,
Bolton asked, "why not allow verification to occur?"
Bolton also pointed to Pyongyang's extensive chemical and biological
weapons activities, citing a recent Defense White Paper published by
the South Korean government that says North Korea has a minimum of
2,500 tons of lethal chemicals and that North Korea is "exerting its
utmost efforts to produce chemical weapons."
Following is the text of Bolton's August 29 speech in Seoul:
(begin text)
North Korea: A Shared Challenge to the U.S. and the ROK
The Honorable John R. Bolton Under Secretary of State for Arms Control
and International Security U.S. Department of State
Sponsored by the Korean-American Association
Presented at the Seoul Hilton
Thursday, August 29, 2002
Introduction
Distinguished guests, it is a pleasure to speak to you today. I am
here representing Secretary Powell to reinforce, indeed celebrate, the
rock-solid alliance between the United States and the Republic of
Korea. We have stood with you shoulder-to-shoulder in times of peace
and war, as you have done with us. We will continue to do so. As
President Bush remarked last February during his visit here: "America
will stand firmly with our South Korean allies. We will sustain our
obligations with honor. Our forces and our alliance are strong, and
this strength is the foundation of peace on the Peninsula." At that
time, the President also thanked the people of South Korea for their
support in the U.S. war on terrorism in the aftermath of the tragic
days of September 11. Almost one year since we were attacked, your
continued support in the war on terrorism proves that our alliance is
also regional and global. Our cooperation in combating this evil is
living testimony to our shared values.
Sadly, the defense of freedom by our joint forces also sometimes
exacts a heavy toll. As Secretary Powell's representative, I want to
reiterate today my country's profound sorrow and heartfelt apology for
the deaths of two young girls who died during a joint training
exercise on June 13. The United States Government takes full
responsibility for this tragic event, and is working closely with the
Government of the Republic of Korea to ensure that we do everything to
prevent such a tragedy from ever recurring.
The Republic of Korea has blossomed as a democracy, as a cutting edge
high-tech economy, and as an example of impressive social change, not
only for Asia but in many ways for the world. This November the people
of this great country will showcase your remarkable democratic
transformation by hosting the Community of Democracies meeting. My
boss, Secretary Colin Powell, is very much looking forward to
participating in this seminal event. There is no better vindication of
the Secretary's buoyant optimism about the future of mankind than
South Korea's achievements over the last two decades.
In sharp contrast, as the Secretary has said, North Korea is a
self-created and self perpetuated tragedy. For decades Pyongyang has
strangled its own economic development and starved its people while
building a massive military force armed with missiles and weapons of
mass destruction. Without sweeping restructuring to transform itself
and its relations with the world, the North's survival is in doubt.
Recently, we have seen hopeful signs of potential change. The revival
of North-South dialog and the beginning of discussions with Japan on
steps that could lead toward normalization have captured headlines.
Perhaps even more importantly the DPRK has begun to implement some
initial steps at freeing prices and allowing private markets to exist.
Whether all this flows from their desperation or their inspiration
still is an open question. However, if such reforms continue and
expand, the future of the North Korean people could be much brighter.
As Secretary Powell has said, "The past does not have to be the future
for Pyongyang and its people. We believe that the light of
transformation can start to shine where darkness currently prevails
... To move this process forward we believe the North should quickly
live up to its standing agreements with the South -- for example,
extending a rail link to the South, establishing free trade zones at
Kaesong and elsewhere, as well as reuniting separated family members."
President Bush has repeatedly emphasized that we support dialog
between the North and the South. He has also made clear that our
deepest sympathies lie with the oppressed and starving North Korean
people, for whom we have provided the largest amount of humanitarian
assistance, this year including 155,000 metric tons of grain.
The North must also begin implementing military confidence building
and tension reduction measures. Some 30 kilometers from where I stand
lies one of the most dangerous places on Earth--the demilitarized
zone. The 38th Parallel serves as a dividing line between freedom and
oppression, between right and wrong. The brave forces of our two
countries stand ready to defend against an evil regime that is armed
to the teeth, including with weapons of mass destruction and ballistic
missiles. It is a regime that has just a few miles from Seoul the most
massive concentration of tubed artillery and rocketry on earth. We in
America must always be cognizant of this enormous conventional threat
to the South and especially to the people of your thriving capital.
Change in the North's diplomatic, economic, and security posture is
necessary, but not sufficient, for it to join the community of
nations. Today, perhaps our gravest concern is Pyongyang's continuing
development of weapons of mass destruction and exporting the means to
deliver them. I must say personally that this administration has
repeatedly put the North on notice that it must get out of the
business of proliferation. Nonetheless, we see few, if any, signs of
change on this front. Too frequently North Korea acts as if the world
will keep looking the other way. Unfortunately, the global
consequences of its proliferation activities are impossible to ignore.
Since I am Secretary Powell's senior advisor on Arms Control and
International Security, let me provide a panoramic view of North
Korea's WMD activities -- chemical, biological, and nuclear as well as
the export of missiles and missile technology -- and thus explain to
you here in South Korea why we are so concerned and the nature of the
challenge I believe we face together.
In regard to chemical weapons, there is little doubt that North Korea
has an active program. This adds to the threat to the people of Seoul
and to the ROK-US frontline troops. Despite our efforts to get North
Korea to become a party to the Chemical Weapons Convention, they have
refused to do so. Indeed, dating back to 1961, when Kim ll-sung issued
a public 'Declaration of Chemicalization'--North Korea has flouted
international norms. Both of our governments recognize this threat. In
a recent report to Congress, the U.S. government declared that North
Korea "is capable of producing and delivering via missile warheads or
other munitions a wide variety of chemical agents." A recent Defense
White Paper published by the South Korean government concurred, noting
that North Korea has a minimum of 2,500 tons of lethal chemicals, and
that North Korea is "exerting its utmost efforts to produce chemical
weapons."
The news on the biological weapons front is equally disturbing. The
governments of both the United States and South Korea are aware that
the North possesses an active bioweapons program. Indeed, at times the
North has flaunted it. In the 1980s, the North Korean military
intensified this effort as instructed by then-President Kim ll-sung,
who declared that "poisonous gas and bacteria can be used effectively
in war."
Both North and South Korea became signatories to the Biological
Weapons Convention in 1987, but only the South has lived up to its
commitments under this treaty. Just last month, your country made a
historic decision to go further and withdraw from the reservation
clause in the Geneva Protocol and wholly prohibit the use of
biological weapons.
But what can be said of North Korea? The U.S. government believes that
North Korea has one of the most robust offensive bioweapons programs
on earth. North Korea to date is in stark violation of the Biological
Weapons Convention. The United States believes North Korea has a
dedicated, national-level effort to achieve a BW capability and that
it has developed and produced, and may have weaponized, BW agents in
violation of the Convention. North Korea likely has the capability to
produce sufficient quantities of biological agents within weeks of a
decision to do so.
The North's Nuclear Weapons Program
Let's turn our attention now to the nuclear question. The U.S. has had
serious concerns about North Korea's nuclear weapons program for many
years. In a recent report to Congress, the U.S. Intelligence Community
stated that "North Korea has produced enough plutonium for at least
one, and possibly two nuclear weapons." Moreover, "Pyongyang continued
its attempts to procure technology worldwide that could have
application in its nuclear program."
It is true that North Korea has frozen plutonium production activities
at the Yongbyon facility as required by the Agreed Framework of 1994
and has allowed a large number of spent fuel rods that could otherwise
be used to make nuclear weapons to be stored safely under
international supervision. Still these important steps are only part
of the agreement. Outstanding concerns remain. To signal our concerns
about these unresolved questions, President Bush, for the first time
since the signing of the Agreement in 1994, this year did not certify
to the U.S. Congress that North Korea is in compliance with all
provisions.
The fact is that North Korea has not begun to allow inspectors with
the International Atomic Energy Agency to complete all of their
required tasks. Many doubt that North Korea ever intends to fully
comply with its NPT obligations. Whatever one thinks, the bottom line
is that North has delayed for years bringing the required safeguards
agreement into force.
Pyongyang's record of the past 8 years does not inspire confidence. It
has gone so far as to demand compensation for lost power generation,
when its self-constructed barriers are largely to blame for
construction delays. If the North has nothing to hide, then full
cooperation with the IAEA, as required by its Safeguards Agreement and
under the Agreed Framework, should be an easy task. Opening up to IAEA
inspectors is the best way to remove suspicions and ensure the
delivery of the light water reactors in a timely fashion.
The math is simple. Earlier this month, concrete was poured at Kumho,
the facility where the light water reactors are to be built.
Construction of a significant portion of the first LWR is now
scheduled to be complete by May 2005, at which time the construction
schedule calls for delivery of controlled nuclear components. The
problem is that key nuclear components to power the reactors cannot
and will not be delivered until the IAEA effectively accounts for
North Korea's nuclear activities--past and perhaps present. The IAEA
estimates that these inspections will take at least three to four
years with full cooperation from North Korea. It is now late summer
2002. Every day that the North fails to allow unfettered IAEA
inspections necessarily pushes back the possible completion of the
light water reactors.
Continued intransigence on the part of Pyongyang only begs the
question: What is North Korea hiding? The concerns of the
international community are only deepened by the clear discrepancy
between the amount of plutonium that may have been reprocessed at the
Yongbyon facility and the amount Pyongyang declared to the IAEA in
1992. The IAEA declared the North's explanations inadequate. As you
recall, when the IAEA wanted to inspect waste sites in North Korea in
1992 to help construct the history of the North's nuclear program, the
sites were deemed off-limits. If the North's IAEA declarations were
accurate, then why not allow verification to occur?
The North could easily answer this question if it complied with the
IAEA inspections required under the NPT. In a notable step backward
just this past June, however, North Korea withdrew its agreement to
discuss the Verification of Completeness and Correctness of the
initial declaration of plutonium with the IAEA. This must be changed.
If the North is serious and not just using delaying tactics, then it
must let the IAEA do its job.
North Korea needs to fulfill its pledge to Seoul when it committed
itself to a nuclear free peninsula by signing the Joint North-South
Denuclearization Agreement of 1992. That accord mandated random
reciprocal inspections and committed both North and South to a
nuclear-free peninsula. The South has lived up to its end of the
bargain and the North has been handed a real opportunity to improve
the welfare of its people and stability on the Peninsula. If the North
is serious about peace and reconciliation, then it will do the same.
North Korea's Global Missile Threat
In addition to its disturbing WMD activities, North Korea also is the
world's foremost peddler of ballistic missile-related equipment,
components, materials, and technical expertise. As the CIA publicly
reports: "North Korea has assumed the role as the missile and
manufacturing technology source for many programs. North Korean
willingness to sell complete systems and components has enabled other
states to acquire longer range capabilities." It has an impressive
list of customers spanning the globe from the Middle East, South Asia
to North Africa, with notable rogue-state clients such as Syria, Libya
and Iran.
President Bush's use of the term "Axis of evil" to describe Iran,
Iraq, and North Korea was more than a rhetorical flourish -- it was
factually correct. First, the characteristics of the three countries'
leadership are much the same: the leaders feel only they are
important, not the people. Indeed, in North Korea, the people can
starve as long as the leadership is well fed. Second, there is a hard
connection between these regimes --an "axis" -- along which flow
dangerous weapons and dangerous technology.
Let us use the case of Iran. For some years now, North Korea has
provided Iran -- arguably the most egregious state sponsor of
terror--with medium-range ballistic missiles known as No Dongs. Iran
has used this assistance and technology to strengthen its Shahab-3
program. The proliferation relationship may work in reverse, and the
fruits of this cooperation could be offered for sale on the
international market. Exports of ballistic missiles and related
technology are one of the North's major sources of hard currency,
which fuel continued missile development and production.
Conclusion
North Korea today faces a choice. If North Korea wants to have a
brighter future, it needs to fundamentally shift the way it operates
at home and abroad. After all, the Soviet Union had 30,000 nuclear
warheads and in the end it still collapsed due to its own
contradictions.
Working in lockstep with our allies, South Korea and Japan, the United
States is prepared to take big steps to help the North transform
itself and move our relations toward normalcy. However, our actions in
large part will be incumbent on the DPRK's positive movement across a
number of fronts. Among other steps, we insist that the North get out
of the missile proliferation business. As President Bush has said, "We
cannot permit the world's most dangerous regimes to export the world's
most dangerous weapons." Also, the North must open up to IAEA
inspection and show that it is committed to a nuclear free peninsula.
This is what the Agreed Framework was intended to achieve. If the DPRK
fails to do so promptly, the future of the Agreed Framework will be in
serious doubt.
Last but certainly not least, simple decency demands that the North
alleviate the suffering and malnutrition of its citizens. To help the
people of North Korea, the US remains committed to the World Food
Program's operations in the DPRK. With much better monitoring and
access, we could do even more. But international charity alone can't
save the North Korean people from tragedy. Economic and political
transformation are vital.
During his visit in February to South Korea, President Bush made our
intentions clear. He stipulated that we have no intention of invading
North Korea. Rather, he said, "We're prepared to talk with the North
about steps that would lead to a better future, a future that is more
hopeful and less threatening." We continue to stand by this offer of
dialogue -- anytime, anyplace.
Today, however, as President Bush stressed, the stability of the
Peninsula is built on the successful and strong alliance between the
ROK-US. No matter what the future holds, we will stand by the
government and people of South Korea.
Thank you.
(end text)
(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
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