North Korea and United States: A Story

North Korea has been the focus of attention in the news recently. The historic summit between North Korean leader Kim Jong In and President Donald Trump has been the center of attention. Although it is important to recognize the historical significance of the recent summit in Singapore, one must also evaluate past negotiation attempts with North Korea. 

The United States and North Korea have been adversaries since the Korean War which has still not been formally resolved. Despite the bitter past both the United States and South Korea have attempted reconciliation with North Korea. 

In 1994, the United States and North Korea reached an agreement for the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula. Per the agreement the U.S would provide aid and help establish two light water nuclear reactors for North Korea. In exchange, North Korea would dismantle its nuclear weapons program. The agreement was obviously not followed and eventually fell apart.

In 2003, the United States proposed multilateral talks on the North Korean nuclear issue. The talks included Russia, China, North Korea, South Korea, Japan and the United States. However, much progress was not made.

With the election President Obama who chose to utilize economic sanctions as a deterrent to North Korea's nuclear program relations  between the countries did not improve  much. However, the election of South Korean president Moon Jae-in helped establish diplomatic relations in the Korean peninsula and played a role at the North Korean Summit in Singapore with President Donald Trump.

For more information:

https://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2792.htm

http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/reports/2014/07/201471463636626619.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/03/08/5-things-know-u-s-north-korea-relationship/409329002/