(EDITORIAL from Korea Times on Dec. 10)

No nuclear status: US should not run the risk of proliferation

Is there anyone who wants to admit that North Korea is a nuclear power?
Certainly, no one, except North Korean leaders, would dare to do so. The United
States, South Korea and other countries have maintained their firm position
against granting nuclear status to the world's last Stalinist country. But this
stance may no longer be tenable if the international community fails to bring an
end to Pyongyang's nuclear weapons development program.
Particularly, skepticism is growing about the North's denuclearization process as
a U.S. defense report erroneously categorized North Korea as a nuclear power. The
annual report was published by the U.S. Joint Forces Command (USJFCOM) under the
wing of the Department of Defense on Nov. 25. ``The rim of the great Asian
continent is already home to five nuclear powers: China, India, Pakistan, North
Korea and Russia,'' said the report, titled ``Joint Operating Environment 2008:
Challenges and Implications for the Future Joint Force.''
We hope the U.S. will cling to its refusal to acknowledge the North as a nuclear
weapons state. As the report ignited controversy, the U.S. government has
reportedly promised to delete North Korea from the listing. How could the authors
of the report mistakenly juxtapose the impoverished communist country with
internationally recognized nuclear powers?
The U.S. side made clear that there is no change in the U.S. stance to realize
the complete dismantling of the North's nuclear programs. However, we are
somewhat worried that the controversial document may send the wrong signal to the
ongoing international efforts to force Pyongyang to give up its nuclear
ambitions.
The six-nation talks on the North's denuclearization are at a critical stage as
Pyongyang has refused to allow inspectors to take samples from a nuclear complex
to verify its past activities. Nuclear envoys from the U.S., China, Japan, Russia
and the two Koreas started a new round of negotiations in Beijing, Monday. But
they are likely to make little progress in finding methods to validate the
North's accounting of its nuclear programs.
North Korea has emerged as a nuclear pariah since it conducted an underground
nuclear test in October 2006 in a bid to declare that it had succeeded in
developing atomic bombs. The U.S. should not take the risky step of including the
North in the nuclear club, even though the isolated country has enough plutonium
to produce several nuclear warheads.
In the event of U.S. recognition of the North as a nuclear power, there might
inevitably be a tremendous change in America's policy on non-proliferation,
defense and diplomacy, especially with North Korea. The U.S. might face the risk
of nuclear dominos as Iran is allegedly pressing ahead with its own nuclear
program. The nuclear issue will soon be in the hands of the next U.S. President
Barack Obama. It remains to be seen what steps he will take to prevent the
proliferation of nuclear weapons.
(END)