North Korea: Talks With The U.S. Possible Once It Has Sufficient Nuclear Weapons To Deter An Attack

N. Korea Says Talks Possible Once Nuclear Deterrence Is Set -- Bloomberg Businessweek

North Korea said talks with the U.S. are possible once it has sufficient nuclear weapons to deter an attack, setting a condition the Obama administration has ruled out after weeks of threats from Kim Jong Un’s regime.

“Genuine dialogue is possible only at the phase where the DPRK has acquired nuclear deterrent enough to defuse the U.S. threat of nuclear war unless the U.S. rolls back its hostile policy,” the state-run Korean Central News Agency yesterday said, citing a Foreign Ministry spokesman. The country’s official name is the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

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More News On North Korean Conditions For U.S. Nuclear Talks

Pyongyang Rejects Bid for Dialogue -- Wall Street Journal
North Korea rejects US call for talks -- Financial Times
North Korea lashes anew at effigy burning in South Korea, says no talks without apologies -- Washington Post/AP
North Korea opens window into possibility of talks with US -- Global Post
North Korea ready for talks but not with the US wielding ‘a nuclear stick' -- AllVoices
N. Korea not opposed to dialogue, but wants to save face first -- Korea Herald

My Comment: Talk about having no common ground for talks.

Can The U.S. And China Negotiate With North Korea?

China And US Push For Dialogue With North Korea -- The Guardian

John Kerry visits Seoul and Beijing to ease fears of tensions ahead of anniversary.

Washington and Beijing stressed they would handle tensions on the Korean peninsula through dialogue and consultation as fears rose that Pyongyang may be planning to test a missile to mark the anniversary of the birth of its first leader, Kim Il-sung.

US secretary of state John Kerry met Chinese president Xi Jinping and other senior leaders in Beijing, saying afterwards: "We are able ... to underscore our joint commitment to the denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula in a peaceful manner."

Standing alongside China's top diplomat, state councillor Yang Jiechi, he added: "We agreed that this is critically important for the stability of the region and indeed for the world and for all of our nonproliferation efforts."

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My Comment: I doubt that China or the U.S. are in a position to negotiate with North Korea right now. North Korea's rhetoric is mainly directed at a North Korean audience .... a point that even America's top intelligence officer (National Intelligence Director James Clapper) asserted on Thursday.

U.S. And North Korea Held Secret Talks In March

North Korean First Vice Foreign Minister Kim Kye-Gwan shakes hands with Clifford Hart, Special Envoy to the Six Party Talks on North Korean De-Nuclearization, upon his arrival to the US Mission to the United Nations. © AFP 2013/ Don Emmert

U.S. And North Korea Held Secret Meeting In March -- Josh Rogin, Foreign Policy

A top State Department official met with a top representative of the North Korean government in New York in March, The Cable has learned.

Clifford Hart, the State Department's special envoy to the now-defunct six-party talks, met North Korea's deputy ambassador to the United Nations Han Song-ryol in mid-March, just before North Korea began its latest string of provocative statements and actions, diplomatic sources said. The meeting was done through what's known in diplomatic circles as the "New York channel," the most common method of direct communication between Washington and Pyongyang.

No real progress was made during the meeting and no new offers were made by the U.S. officials present, the sources said. The U.S. side simply reiterated the administration's call for North Korea to avoid provocative actions as well as its offer for a return to diplomacy if North Korea recommitted to fulfilling its international obligations and pursuing a path of denuclearization. The North Korean side simply agreed to communicate that information back to Pyongyang.

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My Comment: At least they are .... cough cough .... talking.

U.S. Secretary Of Defense Hagel Discusses North Korea

U.S. Taking Serious Note Of N. Korea’s ‘Provocative’ Threats, Hagel Says -- Washington Post

U.S. officials are taking seriously a string of provocative threats from the North Korean government, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday, hours after the U.S. military dispatched stealth planes capable of dropping nuclear-armed missiles for a training exercise in South Korea.

The sorties by B-2 bombers marked a rare show of force by the Pentagon on the Korean Peninsula and followed a decision this month to bolster nuclear defenses along the U.S. West Coast by adding 14 missile interceptors in Alaska.

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More News On U.S. Secretary Of Defense Hagel's Comments On North Korea

North Korea actions have "ratcheted up the danger," says Chuck Hagel -- CBS/AP
US warns ready for 'any eventuality' on N.Korea -- Global Post/AFP
Hagel: U.S. must take 'bellicose' N. Korea seriously -- Detroit Free Press/USA Today
Hagel says U.S. has to take North Korean threats seriously -- Reuters
Hagel says B-2 flights part of normal military exercises with South Korea, not a provocation -- Washington Post/AP
U.S. reaffirms commitment to South Korea -- UPI
Hagel Pledges U.S. Support for S. Korea After North Threats -- SFGate/Bloomberg
Pentagon: U.S. 'Cannot Be Considered a Sanctuary' Amid NKorea Threats -- US News and World Report
US says N Korea's threats 'taken seriously' -- Al Jazeera

White House: We Can Stop A North Korean Nuclear Ballistic Missile Attack

White House: We Can Stop A North Korean Nuke Strike -- USA Today

WASHINGTON—The White House said on Thursday that the United States is fully capable of defending against a North Korean ballistic missile strike.

Earlier on Thursday, the U.N. Security Council voted unanimously for new sanctions against North Korea which carried out a third nuclear test on Feb. 12. The new sanctions triggered Pyongyang to threaten on Thursday a nuclear strike against the United States.

"The United States is fully capable of defending against any North Korean ballistic missile attack," White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.

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Update: After North Korea threat, White House says US can defend itself against attack -- Washington Post/AP

My Comment: I am very familiar with the U.S. missile defense program .... so I am not that confident that it will be able to stop such a hypothetical attack. Fortunately .... North Korea's ballistic missiles have a history of not being reliable or accurate .... and will prbably not be capable of reaching the U.S. (for now).

President Obama Will NOT Call North Korea's Kim Jung Un

White House Denounces Dennis Rodman’s Trip To North Korea -- Washington Post

White House press secretary Jay Carney on Monday denounced Dennis Rodman’s trip to North Korea, calling the former NBA player’s appearance a publicity stunt by the Hermit Kingdom’s oppressive regime.

“Instead of spending money on celebrity sporting events to entertain the elites of that country, the North Korean regime should focus on the well-being of its own people, who have been starved, imprisoned and denied their human rights,” Carney said.

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Update #1: Official Washington brushes off Rodman visit to North Korea -- CNN
Update #2: White House no fan of Rodman's North Korea visit -- NBC

My Comment: Michael Hirsh has a good commentary on this story.

Secret U.S. - North Korean Talks?

LEFT IN THE DARK: Secret U.S. Military Flights Carried Officials, Equipment To N. Korea -- Asahi Shimbun

Senior U.S. administration officials held secret talks in North Korea on at least three occasions in 2011 and 2012, The Asahi Shimbun has learned.

Although the visits had potential implications for Japan, Washington did not inform its security partner at the time and only informally confirmed one of them when the Japanese side pressed, government and other sources in Japan, South Korea and the United States said.

The U.S. State Department even warned the Foreign Ministry against making further inquiries, saying they would harm bilateral relations, the sources said.

U.S. military planes flew from an air base in Guam to Pyongyang and back on April 7, 2012, and again on a longer visit lasting from Aug. 18-20, the sources said.

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My Comment: Why the secrecy? Were these nuclear talks? American MIAs? Peace talks? These meetings happened in 2011 and 2012 and we are told now! And no specifics or even notification to our allies in the region (South Korea and Japan) that this was happening. Strange .... very strange.

U.S. Reaction To North Korea's Nuclear Test

Obama Says North Korea Nuclear Program A Global Threat -- Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama said a nuclear test by North Korea was a "highly provocative act" that hurt regional stability, calling Pyongyang's nuclear program a threat to the United States, its allies, and to international security.

"The danger posed by North Korea's threatening activities warrants further swift and credible action by the international community. The United States will also continue to take steps necessary to defend ourselves and our allies," Obama said in a statement.

North Korea's third-ever nuclear test came less than 24 hours before Obama was slated to give his annual State of the Union address, a televised speech viewed by millions of Americans that is now almost certain to refer to North Korea's actions.

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More News On U.S. Reaction To North Korea's Nuclear Test

Statement by the President on North Korean announcement of nuclear test -- White House

North Korea nuclear test branded 'serious threat' to US -- BBC
North Korea is 'serious threat' to US security -- The Telegraph
Obama pledges swift reaction to NK nuclear test -- Bloomberg Businessweek/AP
Obama vows swift action over nuclear tests but North Korea remains defiant -- The Guardian
US Pentagon chief calls North Korea's military intentions a 'serious threat' following another nuclear test in defiance of UN orders -- The Independent
Obama rebukes N.Korea over test -- AFP
Obama calls North Korea nuclear test 'highly provocative' -- FOX News
Obama Vows U.S. Vigilance After North Korean Nuclear Test -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Obama vows defense of S. Korea in call with Lee -- AFP
Obama, S. Korea 'consult and coordinate' on North's nuclear test -- Politico
North Korea gives John Kerry his first "3 AM" call -- CNN

North Korea Issues New Nuclear And Rocket Threats At The US (Update)

North Korea Issues Blunt New Threat To United States -- New York Times

WASHINGTON — A blunt and explicit threat from North Korea on Thursday that its missile and nuclear programs would “target” the United States poses a stark challenge to the Obama administration even as it hoped it could focus its major diplomatic effort on restraining Iran’s less-advanced nuclear program.

The statement from the North Korean National Defense Commission, the country’s highest military body, was considerably more specific than past warnings from the country, and explicitly ruled out any talks over “denuclearization” of the Korean Peninsula, which has been the objective of on-again, off-again talks with Pyongyang for two decades.

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More News On North Korea's Nuclear - Rocket Threats Against The U.S.

US denounces N. Korea in early row for Obama team -- AFP
White House says NKorea nuclear test plan ‘needlessly provocative’ -- Washington Post/AP
North Korea says new nuclear test will be part of fight against U.S. -- CNN
North Korea directs nuclear threat at US -- Hindustan Times/AP
North Korea to target US in nuclear test -- The Australian/AFP
'Provocative' test threat in North's US tirade -- The Australian
North Korea threatens nuclear test and further rocket launches -- The Guardian
North Korea Vows New Nuclear Test 'Aimed' at US -- Voice of America
North Korea 'plans to conduct nuclear test' -- Al Jazeera
North Korea threatens new nuclear test 'aimed' at US (+video) -- Christian Science Monitor
North Korea 'plans to conduct nuclear test' -- Christian Science Monitor
North Korea Threatens U.S. in Nuclear Warning -- Wall Street Journal
U.S. "very concerned" about North Korea's nuclear statements: Panetta -- Reuters
U.S. Says North Korea Needlessly Provocative With Threats -- Bloomberg
Panetta: US ‘very concerned’ over Korea nuclear test, sees no outward sign it will be soon -- Washington Post/AP
US, Germany condemn North Korea over nuclear test threat -- Deutsche Welle

After Yesterday's Missile Test, A New U.S. Approach Is Needed To Confront North korea

How Obama Got North Korea Wrong -- Michael Mazza, The Diplomat

Just hours ago North Korea successfully tested what many consider to be intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) technology, underscoring the failure of two decades of U.S. policy. How Washington expected to halt Pyongyang’s missile development program without taking serious steps to do so remains a mystery. While ineffective policies date back to the previous Bush and Clinton administrations, the current administration bears its fair share of the blame.

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My Comment: U.S. allies in Asia are becoming very vocal that a new policy must now be found to confront a more belligerent and dangerous North Korea. Unfortunately .... I do not see any movement to confront North Korea coming from this White House.

Secret U.S. - North korean Talks Fail

North Korea Rebuffs U.S. At Secret Meeting In China -- Foreign Policy

Two North Korean government officials told a top U.S. official dealing with North Korea that the hermitic Stalinist state would not continue on its path to denuclearization, as promised in 2005, until the United States ends what it sees as America's hostile policy to the DPRK.

Clifford Hart, the Obama administration's special envoy to the now-defunct Six Party Talks, met with Han Song-ryol, North Korea's deputy ambassador to the United Nations, and Choe Son Hui, the deputy director-general of the North American affairs bureau in the DPRK foreign ministry, late last month in China, two government officials briefed on the meeting told The Cable. The meeting was held on the sidelines of the Northeast Asia Cooperation Dialogue, which was held this year on Sept. 27 and 28 in the Chinese city of Dalian.

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My Comment: It is going to take a few years before the new leadership in North Korea is in a position to assert it's authority when it comes to pursuing and implementing new policies .... including how it interacts with the U.S. and South Korea. My expectation .... expect the "Hermit Kingdom" to act as a hermit for the next few years.

President Obama's Frank Assessment On North Korea

Obama's Disbelief After Staring Into N. Korea -- Yahoo News/AFP

After squinting through binoculars into a nation frozen in time, US President Barack Obama reeled off a contempt-laden and startlingly frank indictment of North Korea.

The Stalinist remnant of the Cold War was, in Obama's eyes, nothing but a nation which cannot make "anything of any use", "doesn't work", and even its vaunted weapons exports were hardly state of the art.

"It is like you are in a time warp," Obama said Sunday, after he toured a rocky border post in the demilitarised buffer zone that has split the Korean peninsular for longer than he has been alive.

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Update: Obama: North Korea will achieve nothing with provocation -- CNN

My Comment: I actually found his remarks rather mild .... I would have used stronger language.

President Obama Warns North Korea On Their Missile Launch

US President Barack Obama Warns North Korea Over Proposed Rocket Launch -- The Telegraph

Speaking at a news conference in Seoul, the US President urged China to use its influence to stop North Korea's "bad behaviour" in a nuclear standoff with the West and hinted at tougher sanctions if the reclusive state goes ahead with a rocket launch next month.

Speaking at a news conference with South Korea's President Lee Myung-Bak ahead of a nuclear summit, the US President said that China could play a key role in preventing North Korea gaining a nuclear weapon.

"I believe that China is very sincere that it does not want to see North Korea with a nuclear weapon. But it is going to have to act on that interest in a sustained way."

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More News On President Obama's Warnings To North Korea

Obama: N. Korean rocket test would isolate regime -- AP
Obama warns North Korea on planned rocket launch -- USA Today
Obama: North Korea will achieve nothing with provocation -- CNN
Obama Urges N. Korea To Cancel Planned Rocket Launch -- RTT News
Obama warns North Korea -- Politico
Obama urges China to rein in North Korea in nuclear standoff -- Reuters

My Comment: The North Koreans are listening .... but they do not care.

U.S. And North Korea Begin Nuclear Talks

North Korea And US Nuclear Talks Begin In Geneva -- BBC

The US and North Korea are holding direct talks in Geneva over restarting stalled nuclear negotiations.

It is the second such meeting between the two sides in under three months.

Six-party discussions involving North and South Korea, China, Russia, Japan and the US broke down in April 2009 when North Korea walked out.

A month later, North Korea tested its second nuclear weapon, which was followed by increased tension on the Korean peninsula.

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More News On U.S. - North Korean Nuclear Talks

U.S. and North Korea hold "useful" talks in Geneva -- Reuters
Nuclear Talks With North Korea Begin in Geneva -- New York Times
US-North Korea Begin Talks on Nuclear Disarmament -- Voice of America
US-North Korea talks over Pyongyang’s nuclear program start in Geneva -- Washington Post/AP
N Korea and US begin nuclear negotiations -- Al Jazeera

My Comment: I have read and posted on this pony and tail story so many times over the years that I find it hard to believe that supposedly intelligence human beings actually believe that North Korea would bend on their nuclear arsenal in this round of "negotiations". Two days of talks .... what a waste of time.

U.S. To Resume Talks With North Korea

U.S. Appoints New Special Envoy To North Korea -- Washington Post

The United States on Wednesday appointed a new special envoy to North Korea who will meet with representatives of the isolated regime in Geneva next week, the latest in a series of actions to renew talks that stalled years ago.

The current envoy, Stephen Bosworth, will be replaced by Glyn Davies, who has been serving as the U.S. ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

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More News On The Resumption Of U.S. - North Korean Talks

US replaces envoy to N. Korea, plans talks next week -- MSNBC/AP
U.S., North Korea Plan Talks on Disarmament -- Wall Street Journal
U.S. to Hold Direct Talks With North Korea as Glyn Davies Appointed Envoy -- Bloomberg
New U.S. Envoy to Talk With North Koreans -- New York Times
US and N Korea to resume nuclear talks -- Al Jazeera
U.S. Will Hold Talks With North Korea in Geneva Oct. 24-25 -- Bloomberg Businessweek
U.S., North Korea to meet on Oct. 24-25 in Geneva -- Reuters
U.S. to meet North Korea about resuming stalled talks -- L.A. Times
U.S. shakes up North Korea team ahead of rare direct talks -- National Post/AFP
North Korea's Kim says ready to resume nuclear talks -- MSNBC/Reuters

US Military Reconnaissance Plane Forced Down By North Korean Electronic Attack

U.S. soldiers get off Korean Air aircraft at the Korean Air Force Airport in Daegu to participate in the Key Resolve/Foal Eagle joint exercises on March 8.

N.Korea Jammed U.S. Reconnaissance Plane GPS -- Chosun Ilbo

A U.S. military reconnaissance aircraft made an emergency landing during annual South Korea-U.S. military exercises in March when North Korea jammed its GPS device, it emerged Thursday.

According to a report the Defense Ministry submitted to Democratic Party lawmaker Ahn Kyu-baek of the National Assembly's Defense Committee, the RC-7B took off from its base at 8:30 p.m. on March 4 but had to make an emergency landing about 45 minutes later due to disruption of its GPS functions by jamming signals transmitted from Haeju and Kaesong in North Korea at intervals of five to 10 minutes that afternoon.

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More News On North Korea's GPS Jamming Attack

US military plane in electronic attack from North Korea -- Herald Sun
US Military Plane Forced Down By North Korean Electronic Attack -- FOX News
N.K. boosts electronic warfare capabilities -- The Korea Herald
N. Korea developing new devices to jam GPS signals: defense ministry -- Yonhap News Agency
New North Korea GPS jamming device has 100 kilometre range -- Mobile Magazine
N.Korea Developing High-Powered GPS Jammer -- Chosun Ilbo
North Korea GPS jamming device has 100km range -- Uber Gizmo

WNU Editor: This is making news now!!! We first blogged about North Korea's GPS jamming capabilities in March.

North Korea Threatens A Nuclear Arms Race

Missile Shield Will Spark Nuclear Arms Race-North Korea -- New York Times/Reuters

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - If U.S. plans to deploy a missile shield to protect Europe against a possible attack by Iran are realized, it will spark a new nuclear arms race, North Korea's U.N. ambassador said Wednesday.

The U.S. plan, which is being developed in consultation with NATO, calls for the gradual deployment of interceptor missiles, based on land and sea, by 2020.

"The MDS (missile defence system) being pushed under the pretext of responding to so-called ballistic missile developments by what they call 'rogue states' is far from carrying logic," North Korea's U.N. Ambassador Sin Son-ho told a U.N. General Assembly meeting on disarmament.

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More News On North Korea And Nuclear Weapons Talks

North Korea Predicts New Nuclear Arms Race -- New York Times/AP
US-North Korea Talks Begin in New York -- Voice of America
North Korea threatens nuke arms race -- News24
North Korea demands peace treaty with US -- Stars and Stripes/AP
US, North Korea hold nuclear talks -- AFP
North Korea says peace treaty a first step for denuclearization -- Reuters
U.S. to weigh North Korea's seriousness at talks -- CTV
Low expectations as U.S., North Korea renew diplomacy -- Reuters
US-North Korea nuclear talks: Why return to the table now? -- Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor

Naval Stand-off Reported Between North Korea And The U.S.

Guided-missile destroyer USS McCampbell in the western Pacific Ocean Photo: AFP

US Navy Intercepts North Korean 'Missile Carrier' -- The Telegraph

The US Navy has intercepted a North Korean ship suspected of carrying missile technology to Burma and after dramatic stand-off forced it to turn back, according to The New York Time.

Pyongyang was forced to recall the ship home after the confrontation last month, which involved several days of diplomatic wrangling.

The US government made no official announcement about the operation, the paper added.

But it said US officials had described the episode as an example of how they can use a combination of naval power and diplomatic pressure to enforce UN sanctions imposed on North Korea after its 2009 nuclear test.

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More News On This U.S. - North Korean Naval Confrontation

U.S. Said to Turn Back North Korea Missile Shipment -- New York Times
US intercepted N. Korea ship over arms fears -- AFP
NY Times: US stopped NK ship bound for Myanmar -- AJC/AP
U.S. Navy intercepted North Korean ship: report -- Reuters
U.S. Blocks North Korean Missile Parts Shipment to Myanmar: Newspaper -- Global Security Newswire
US Navy 'stopped North Korean vessel bound for Burma' -- BBC
U.S. Intercepts North Korean Ship Carrying Missiles to Burma -- FOX News
North Korea's Burma missile shipment intercepted: report -- Global Post
U.S. turns back North Korea ship bound for Myanmar -- Myanmar

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter Secures Release Of American Held By North Korea

Carter Wins American's Release From North Korea -- L.A. Times

The former U.S. president reportedly is told Pyongyang is interested in resuming stalled anti-nuclear talks.

Reporting from Seoul —
Former President Carter on Friday left the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, after negotiating the release of an American who had been imprisoned since January for illegally entering the secretive country, officials said.

Carter went to North Korea this week seeking the release of Boston native Aijalon Mahli Gomes, a former English teacher in South Korea who was sentenced to eight years in prison for entering the North from China in January.

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More News On Former President Carter's Trip To North Korea

NKorea releases American imprisoned since January -- Yahoo News/AP
North Korea tells Carter wants to resume nuclear talks -- Yahoo News/Reuters
Carter leaves N. Korea with freed American, nuke pledge -- Yahoo News/AFP
Carter wins release of American from North Korea -- CNN
Carter Leaving North Korea With Freed American Prisoner -- Bloomberg Businessweek
Carter Wins Freedom for US Man Imprisoned in North Korea -- Voice of America
Carter gains release of U.S. activist imprisoned by North Korea -- Washington Post
Mattapan man, freed from North Korean prison, due in Boston today -- Boston.com
U.S. Issues Travel Warning After North Korea Freed American Teacher -- RTT News

North Korea Is Still Off The Terror Sponsor List

Thai soldiers guarded an aircraft that was impounded at
Don Mueang airport in Bangkok on Dec. 12. Rungroj Yongrit

Obama Keeps N. Korea Off Terror Sponsor List -- MSNBC/Reuters

Pyongyang did not meet ‘statutory criteria’ to be added to list, report shows.

President Barack Obama said Wednesday he had decided not to reinstate nuclear-armed North Korea to a list of countries that the United States considers state sponsors of terrorism.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton last June had raised the possibility of returning North Korea to the list in reaction to recent nuclear and missile tests. Several Republican senators had been demanding such a move.

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Update: Obama keeps North Korea off US terror list -- AFP

My Comment: Just 6 weeks after a North Korean transport plane was intercepted sending prohibited weapons to Iran (a state that is on the state sponsored terrorist list), President Obama still decides to not put North Korea on the list.

OK .....

Let's see if future discussions with North Korea .... which I assume is the reason why they were not put on the list .... will bear fruit in the areas of nuclear proliferation and the export of missile technology.