The Relationship with the USA (North Korea)

The relationship between the U.S and North Korea started within the Korean War which was fought in the 1950s. However the relationship between the two countries was not positive; considering the U.S supported the United Nations forces in the south of Korea. The war stopped on the 27th July 1953 with a ceasefire agreement; the peninsula is divided by a demilitarised zone dividing the north and south of Korea ( the Republic of Korea). Although an agreement has been made between the two sides, a formal peace agreement ending the war has not yet been signed. Throughout the late 20th century friction between the U.S and North Korea was potently clear. In 1968 the DPRK( Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) capture an American intelligence ship gathering information, although, the crew was released, North Korea still hold captive the ship (USS Pueblo). A year later an American reconnaissance plane was shot down by North Korea, resulting in thirty-one Americans being killed. In 2002 president of the United States, George Bush labelled North Korea as an 'Axis of Evil'. Within the same year the United States also stopped oil shipments to North Korea because of a dispute over North Korea’s secret nuclear weapons program. After the U.S stopped oil shipments to North Korea they removed international nuclear inspectors. The next year North Korea then went on to withdrawing the nuclear nonproliferation treaty. In 2005 Condoleezza Rice labeled North Korea as an " Outposts of Tyranny" North korea is one of the few countries listed under this title. In 2006 North Korea tested missiles and then later moved on to testing an explosive nuclear device. Furthermore in 2007 North Korea shut down their nuclear weapons program. Moreover, within the same year speculations had been made that the U.S had removed North Korea from their list of state sponsors of terrorism and, discussions occurred to also end the Korean War. President Bush also tried a personal attempted towards North Korea by writing a letter to them. In 2008 president Bush formally removes North Korea from their terror watch list.

Timeline of Recent North Korean activity (2013):

12 Feb:          North conducts underground nuclear missile test.

11 Mar:          US-South Korea annual military drills begin.

30 Mar:          North says it is entering a "state of war" with South.

2 Apr:             North says it is restarting Yongbyon reactor.

3-26 Apr:        North precipitates the shutting down of Kaesong industrial zone.

2 May:            North jails US man for 15 years.

22 May:          North sends envoy to China.

10 June:         North and South agree to government-level meeting in Seoul.

North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Development Timeline

1985

North Korea joins the Treaty of the non-proliferation of Nuclear Weapons as a non-nuclear weapon state.

1986

They start their operation of a five-megawatt nuclear reactor at Yongbyon after seven years of plan with Soviet help.

1993

They say they will quit the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, but later delays their withdrawal.

1994

They sign an agreement with the US under which the North shuts down the plutonium-based Yongbyon nuclear reactor in exchange for help in building two nuclear reactors for producing electricity.

2002

January 29

The US president, George Bush, labeled North Korea, Iran and Iraq an "axis of evil".

October 4

Washington says North Korea admitted to a visiting US delegation that it has a uranium enrichment program.

November 21

US-led consortium says it is suspending construction of the two new reactors.

2003

January 11

They withdraw from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.

August 27-29

They join first round of six-nation nuclear talks in Beijing, which include China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the US.

2005

February 10

They announce they have nuclear weapons.

2006

October 9

They hold an underground nuclear test blast.

2007

February 13

They agree to a six-nation talk to take first steps to disarmament, after the US moves to help free some $25m frozen in North Korean accounts.

July 14

North Korea shuts down its Yongbyon reactor.

September 6

Israeli warplanes bomb a Syrian nuclear reactor site allegedly built with North Korean design help.

October 3

The six countries at nuclear talks agree that North Korea will provide a complete declaration of its nuclear programs and disable facilities at its main reactor complex by December 31.

November 5

They start disabling the Yongbyon reactor under the watch of US experts.

December 31

They miss its deadline for declaring all its nuclear programmes.

2008

February 26

The New York Philharmonic performs in Pyongyang, in the highest-level cultural exchange between the US and North Korea since the 1950-53 Korean War.

April 24

The White House says North Korea assisted Syria's secret nuclear program and that the nuclear reactor destroyed by Israel was not intended for peaceful purposes.

May 8

North Korea gives the US more than 18,000 pages of records on the Yongbyon reactor after discussions between the two countries to resolve disagreements over what its nuclear declaration will include.

May 16

The US announces it will provide North Korea with 50,000 tonnes of food aid as a humanitarian gesture unrelated to the nuclear talks.

June 26

US begins steps to remove North Korea from list of states sponsoring terrorism after Pyongyang submitted inventory of its nuclear activities.

August 26

Pyongyang suspends disablement of nuclear facilities, accusing US of reneging on disarmament agreement.

September 3

South Korea says reconstruction has started at North Korea's Yongbyon complex.

September 24

UN nuclear inspectors expelled from North Korea, which pledges to resume plutonium processing.

October 12

Pyongyang says will resume dismantling nuclear weapons programme after US removes North Korea from list of terrorism-sponsoring states.

November 12

The relationship between North and South Korea get worse with Pyongyang announcing that it will close border crossings in December.

2009

February 24

Speculation mounts that North Korea plans long-range missile tests in defiance of American warnings not to destabilise region.

March 30

US and Japan deploy anti-missile batteries on land and sea to shoot down possible debris from the expected missile test although US insists has no intention of shooting down missile itself.

April 3

Barack Obama warns North Korea cannot go ahead with missile tests with permission.

April 4

Pyongyang launches a long-range rocket over Japan, drawing international disapproval.