Nodutdol Press Release Blames U.S. For North Korea Nuclear Test

Official Press Release Issued By Nodutdol for Korean Community Development on October 11, 2006 entitled "U.S. Hands off North Korea" Rally at the United Nations

There is much misinformation among the U.S. public when it comes to North Korea. The U.S. mainstream media paints a picture of a reclusive society controlled by a totalitarian dictator and a renegade state that threatens world peace. North Korea’s announcement of a nuclear test was received with horror and shock; Bush called it a threat to U.S. national security. However, to understand the current situation, it is important for us to know the history of events that led up to North Korea’s nuclear test. Many people don’t know what happened in 1994 or what has happened since. In 1994, the U.S. and North Korea signed an agreement called the Geneva Agreed Framework. In it, the U.S. agreed to provide to North Korea two light water reactors to generate energy. In exchange, North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear program. The two countries also agreed to normalize diplomatic relations and move towards finally ending over 50 years of hostility.

Now, let’s look at what has happened since then. The U.S. never delivered on its promise to provide light water reactors. Instead, the Bush administration has; 1. called North Korea part of the “axis of evil”, 2. Issued threats of preemptive strikes, 3. Proposed to build a nuclear bunker buster aimed at North Korea, 4. Continued to conduct military exercises that simulate real war situations in which the U.S. aim is regime change, 5. Continued to enforce sanctions imposed just after the Korean War Armistice was signed, and 5. Forced foreign banks to freeze North Korean assets. Now it is pursuing a policy of “strategic flexibility,” turning South Korea into its base of operations for U.S. military offensives in the region.

Instead of moving towards normalization, the U.S. has maintained a policy of permanent war against North Korea. In fact, the U.S. never meant to follow through on the Agreed Framework because it never thought that North Korea would survive this long. After the Soviet Union collapsed, the U.S. believed North Korea would soon be wiped out – either due to a famine, an energy crisis, or a mass rebellion. But none of these things happened. And today, North Korea is even more resolved to oust the U.S. from the Korean peninsula.

So now, after years of trying to get the U.S. government to recognize its national sovereignty, follow through on the Agreed Framework, and negotiate in good faith, North Korea announced a nuclear test. Let’s think for a moment –

Which country has the most nuclear warheads in the world? The U.S.

Which country spends the most money on its military? The U.S.

Which country has killed the greatest number of people on foreign soil? The U.S.

So when you’re dealing with a country like the U.S., and you know your name appears on its hit list, and you’ve been following what the U.S. did in Iraq – where diplomacy and appeals to the international community didn’t stop the U.S. from fabricating lies and bombing innocent civilians - what would you do? What options do you have to defend your people?

It is a double standard for the U.S. – which owns the most nuclear warheads – to call for disarmament in North Korea.

Let us be clear – Nodutdol for Korean Community Development stands for peace and non-proliferation. Non-proliferation must begin with the U.S. Its calls for disarmament can only be taken seriously when it leads by example.

We call on the U.S. government to change its course in Northeast Asia by moving away from a policy of permanent war against North Korea to one of establishing permanent peace. We call on the U.S. government to enter into bilateral talks with North Korea, sign a peace treaty to end over 50-year-long Korean War, and finally to withdraw its troops from the Korean peninsula.

U.S. hands off the Middle East!
U.S. hands off North Korea!