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Young Koreans United rally statement on KEDO
Today the Bush administration is urging KEDO to stop the heavy oil delivery to
North Korea as in the Agreed Framework of 1994 in order to solve the nuclear
issue by cutting off very depending energy source without talk.
In 1994 the Agreed Framework was signed between North Korea and the United States. There were three major agreements: the United States would organize an international consortium to replace North Korea’s graphite-moderated reactors with two light water reactors, both sides would work together for peace and security on a nuclear-free Korean peninsula, and North Korea and the United States would move toward full normalization of political and economic relations such as upgrading bilateral relations to the Ambassadorial level and reducing restrictions on trade and investment in North Korea. These agreements, unfortunately, have not been followed up well by both sides. The construction of two light water reactors, which was supposed to be finished by 2003, has just been started. The sanction on North Korea by the United States has not been fully lifted, nor have both sides upgraded bilateral relationship to the Ambassadorial level. In March 2002, the Bush administration's Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) specifically named North Korea as a possible target for U.S. pre-emptive nuclear strike, and recently the U.S. State Department announced that North Korea has a program to enrich uranium for nuclear weapon. Both sides are, therefore, responsible for jeopardizing the Agreed Framework of 1994.
It is still not clear what the purpose of North Korea’s nuclear program and the status of the program are because of lack of detailed evidence from either the United States or North Korea, but if the program was to produce weapons, it will jeopardize the Agreed Framework of 1994, Nonproliferation of Nuclear Treaty, and the Communiqu?of Nuclear-free Korean Peninsula by North and South Korea, thus it has to be stopped. We must, however, acknowledge that the hostile policy of United States toward North Korea is partially responsible for giving North Korea enough cause to start the nuclear program. The light water reactor, which will replace North Korea gave up its nuclear energy program in 1994, construction is at 20% completion although it has to be done by 2003, which is not possible. The United States has not established the normalization with North Korea in politics and economics. Also the Bush administration pointed North Korea as one of the axis of evils and is still threatening North Korea with the pre-emptive nuclear strike. We cannot neglect that all these hostile acts by the United States have played an important roll to incite the nuclear program by North Korea and thus threatening the peace in Korean peninsula and the area nearby.
Today the Bush administration is urging KEDO to stop the heavy oil delivery to North Korea as in the Agreed Framework of 1994 in order to solve the nuclear issue by cutting off very depending energy source without talk. However, South Korea and Japan, who are major contributors of KEDO and neighbor countries of North Korea, are urging the United States to resolve the nuclear issue through dialogue and economic cooperation and want to continue the heavy oil delivery to North Korea. We believe that such a containment policy of the Bush administration will only result the complete abrogation of the Agreed Framework of 1994 and North Korea continuing pursuing with her nuclear program thus escalate the danger in Korean peninsula and the area nearby, thus we are against cutting off the heavy oil delivery.
As peace loving people and people supporting a nuclear-free Korea, we urge the United States and North Korea to work on the following:
The heavy oil shipment has to be continued.
The heavy oil shipment has been fulfilling one of compliances of the Agreed Framework of 1994 thus making it meaningful. By continuing the heavy oil shipment, both the United States and North Korea are not losing better opportunities to build the peace in the Korean peninsula.
United States and North Korea must resolve security issues through the spirit of cooperation, and without any preconditions.
In order to archive the peace in Korean peninsula, both sides must meet to negotiate their issues. In this way each side’s issues and even preconditions can be negotiable through dialogue in the spirit of cooperation, thus both sides can resolve their issues and archive goals.
United States and North Korea must renegotiate the 1994 Geneva Agreement.
All provisions in the Agreement need to be recommitted, rescheduled and revived to be realistically executable.
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