Title	Six-party talks
Sort	korean3
Koreanname	North Korean name
Context	north
Hangul	륙자 회담
Hanja	六者會談
Mr	Ryukcha hoedam
Rr	Ryukja hoedam
Koreanname2	South Korean name
Hangul2	육자 회담
Hanja2	六者會談
Rr2	Yukja hoedam
Mr2	Yukcha hoedam
Chinesename	Mandarin Chinese name
Tradchi	六方會談
Simpchi	六方会谈
Pinyin	Liùfāng Huìtán
Kanji	六者会合
Kana	ろくしゃかいごう
Romaji	Rokusha Kaigō
Cyrillic	Шестисторо́нние перегово́ры
Romanization	Shestistorónniye peregovóry }}

The six-party talks aim to find a peaceful resolution to the security concerns as a result of the North Korean nuclear weapons program. There has been a series of meetings with six participating states:

the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea);

the Republic of Korea (South Korea);

the People's Republic of China;

the United States of America;

the Russian Federation; and

the State of Japan.

These talks were a result of North Korea withdrawing from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003. Apparent gains following the fourth and fifth rounds were reversed by outside events. Five rounds of talks from 2003 to 2007 produced little net progress until the third phase of the fifth round of talks, when North Korea agreed to shut down its nuclear facilities in exchange for fuel aid and steps towards the normalization of relations with the United States and Japan. Responding angrily to the United Nations Security Council's Presidential Statement issued on April 13, 2009 that condemned the North Korean failed satellite launch, the DPRK declared on April 14, 2009 that it would pull out of Six Party Talks and that it would resume its nuclear enrichment program in order to boost its nuclear deterrent. North Korea has also expelled all nuclear inspectors from the country.

Content of the six-party talks

The main points of contention are:

Security guarantee - this issue has been raised by North Korea since the Bush administration (2001–2009) took office. North Korea labeled the Bush administration as hostile and accused it of planning to overthrow the North Korean government by force. This concern was elevated when President George W. Bush named North Korea as part of an "axis of evil" in his 2002 State of the Union Address.

The construction of light water reactors - under the 1994 Agreed Framework two light-water reactors would be built in return for the closure of North Korea's graphite-moderated nuclear power plant program at Yongbyon. This agreement broke down after both sides defaulted, especially since 2002.

Peaceful use of nuclear energy - whilst the NPT allows states the right to use nuclear energy for civilian purposes, this is thought to have been used by North Korea as a cover for their nuclear weapons program.

Diplomatic relations - North Korea wants normalization of diplomatic relations as part of the bargain for giving up its nuclear weapons program. The U.S. has at times disagreed and at times agreed to this condition, providing North Korea irreversibly and verifiably disarms its nuclear weapons program.

Financial restrictions / Trade normalization - The U.S. has placed heavy financial sanctions on North Korea for what they see as an uncooperative attitude and unwillingness to dismantle its nuclear weapons program. In addition, other parties such as China have taken actions such as the freezing of North Korean assets in foreign bank accounts, such as the US$24 million in Macau's Banco Delta Asia. With the nuclear test on October 9, 2006, UNSCR 1718 was passed, which included a ban on all luxury goods to North Korea. These funds have since been unfrozen by the US on March 19, 2007 to reciprocate actions by their North Korean counterparts. The United States removed North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism in Oct 2008.

Verifiable and Irreversible disarmament - Members of the six-party talks have disagreed on this. Japan and the U.S. have demanded that North Korea completely dismantle its nuclear program so that it may never be restarted, and that it can be verified by the six members of the talks before aid is given. South Korea, China and Russia have agreed on a milder, step-by-step solution which involves the members of the six-party talks giving a certain reward (e.g. aid) in return for each step of nuclear disarmament. North Korea has wanted the U.S. to concede some of the conditions first before it will take any action in disarming their weapons program, which they see as the only guarantee to prevent a U.S. attack on their soil.

Timeline

1st round (27 Aug – 29 Aug 2003)

Representatives:

: Lee Soo-hyuk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade : Kim Young-il, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs : James Kelly, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs : Wang Yi, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Mitoji Yabunaka, Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau : Alexander Losyukov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

A Chairman's Summary agreed upon for a further round of talks.

No agreement between parties made.

2nd round (25 Feb – 28 Feb 2004)

Representatives: : Lee Soo-hyuk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade : Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : James Kelly, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs : Wang Yi, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Mitoji Yabunaka, Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau : Alexander Losyukov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

A Chairman's Statement announced with seven articles, including:

* Denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula

* Peaceful Coexistence of Participating States, stressing the use of mutually coordinated measures to resolve crises.

Agreement to hold the third round of talks with full participation during the second quarter of 2004.

3rd round (23 Jun – 26 Jun 2004)

Representatives : Lee Soo-hyuk, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade : Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : James Kelly, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs : Wang Yi, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Mitoji Yabunaka, Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau : Alexander Alexeyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

A Chairman's Statement announced with eight articles, including:

* Reconfirming the commitment to denuclearising the Korean Peninsula, stressing specification of the scope and time, interval (between steps of) and method of verification

Agreement to hold fourth round of talks in Beijing before September 2005

4th round

1st phase (26 Jul – 7 Aug 2005)

Representatives : Song Min-soon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade : Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs : Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Sasae Kenichiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau : Alexander Alexeyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

U.S. and North Korea cannot agree on 'peaceful' use of nuclear energy

Three-week recess of talks due to ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) meeting

2nd phase (13 Sep – 19 Sep 2005)

Representatives : Song Min-soon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade : Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs : Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Sasae Kenichiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau : Alexander Alexeyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved Agreement on a Joint Statement of six articles, including:

* Verifiable denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula

* Observe and realize the 1992 Korean Peninsula Denuclearization Declaration

* North Korea to agree to abandon all nuclear weapons and nuclear programs and return to the NPT as soon as possible

* However, the states still respect North Korea's stated right to peaceful use of nuclear energy.

The issue of the light water reactors will be discussed "at an appropriate time"

* U.S. and the South Korea to formally declare that they have no nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula

* U.S. affirmed it has no intention to attack or invade North Korea and will provide a security guarantee to this effect

* U.S. and North Korea will work to normalize ties, respect each other's sovereignty, exist peacefully together.

* Japan and North Korea will work to normalize relations, in accordance with the Pyongyang Statement by settling historical disputes.

* The other five Parties undertook to promote economic cooperation through strengthening bilateral/multilateral economic cooperation in energy, trade and investment.

* South Korea reaffirmed its proposal of 7/12/05 concerning the provision of 2 million kilowatts of electricity if the DPRK abandoned its nuclear arms program.

* The Korean Peninsula peace treaty to be negotiated separately.

* 'Words for words'; 'actions for actions' principle to be observed, stressing 'mutually coordinated measures'.

Agreement to hold fifth round of talks in early November, 2005.

5th round

1st phase (9 Nov – 11 Nov 2005)

Representatives : Song Min-soon, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade : Kim Gye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs : Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Sasae Kenichiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau : Alexander Alexeyev, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

Joint Statement issued with six points. This is essentially the same as the previous round's statements, except for:

* Modifying the 'words for words' and 'actions for actions' principle to 'commitment for commitment, action for action' principle.

No agreement on when the next talks will be held, though March 2006 looked likely at the time.

Events between phases 1 and 2

In April 2006, North Korea offered to resume talks if the U.S. releases recently frozen North Korean financial assets held in a bank in Macau.

* The U.S. treats the nuclear and financial issues as separate; North Korea does not.

North Korea then announced on October 3, 2006, that it was going to test its first nuclear weapon regardless of the world situation, blaming 'hostile U.S. policy' as the reason for the need for such a deterrent. However, it pledged a no-first-strike policy and to nuclear disarmament only when there is worldwide elimination of such nuclear weapons . For North Korea's full text, read this.

On October 9, 2006, North Korea announced a successful nuclear test, verified by the U.S. on October 11.

In response, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1718 unanimously condemning North Korea, as well as passing Chapter VII, Article 41. Sanctions ranged from the economic to the trade of military units, WMD-related parts and technology transfer, and a ban on certain luxury goods. Both the People's Republic of China and the Russian Federation were quick to stress that these were not military-enforceable sanctions. The Resolution also gave the right to other nations to inspect any North Korean vessel's cargo, although the People's Republic of China has held reservations about this move, saying it wanted to avoid any military confrontation with North Korea's navy. On 31 October 2006, the Chinese government announced that six-party talks would resume. U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill later stated that the resumption could happen in the next month and that North Korea had not set preconditions for the talks. The deadlock was broken by what ''BBC News'' called "frantic behind-the-scenes negotiations" by Beijing. However, Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Aso stated that his country was not willing to return to the six-party talks until North Korea had renounced nuclear weapons. On 5 December 2006, the Russian envoy and former chief Russian negotiator for the six-party talks Alexander Alexeyev said that the talks were unlikely to resume before 2007 owing to the slow progress towards the talks and the fact that Christmas was coming up soon. On 10 December, it became apparent that talks would resume on 18 December 2006.

2nd phase (18 Dec – 22 Dec 2006)

Representatives : Chun Yung-woo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade : Kim Kye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs : Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Sasae Kenichiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau : Sergey Razov, Russian Ambassador to China Objectives achieved

Chairman's Statement issued

* All six parties reaffirm their commitment to the Joint Statement made on 19 September 2005 in an 'action for action' manner.

* All six parties reaffirmed their positions, some of whose positions have differed greatly since the last time the parties met.

Numerous bilateral talks were held, especially the Sunday before the talks (Dec 17, 2006) and on the third and fourth days of negotiations.

Separate bilateral talks were made concerning the freezing of overseas North Korean financial assets between the U.S. delegation led by the U.S. Treasury Deputy Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing and Financial Crimes, Daniel Glaser, and the North Korean delegation led by the President of the DPRK's Foreign Trade Bank, O Kwang Chol. These talks ended without consensus on a stance, but both delegations agreed to meet again in New York in January 2007. The 5th round only went into "recess" on Dec 22, 2006, indicating that the round was not over yet. China's chief six-party talks negotiator Wu Dawei stated on January 8, 2007 that working talks concerning the financial sanctions were likely to resume on January 21–22, 2007 in New York, with the main six-party talks likely to resume soon after in Beijing.

Events between phases 2 and 3

Russia's ex-chief negotiator for the six-party talks Alexander Losyukov has taken over from Sergei Razov as the new chief negotiator. Losyukov was previously the Russian ambassador to Tokyo, appointed immediately after the second round of the six-party talks in March 2004. On 26 January 2007, Russian chief negotiator Alexander Losyukov told reporters that the third phase was most likely to resume sometime in late January or early February 2007, most likely 5–8 February 2007. Apparently the North Korean delegation wants to resume these talks on 8 February 2007. The dates were chosen to take place before the Lunar New Year, which commences in mid-February in 2007. This has been supported by the PRC and ROK delegations. Both Kim Kye-gwan for North Korea and Christopher Hill for the U.S. made positive remarks about the progress of in-between-rounds one-to-one talks held from Tuesday 16 January 2007 to Thursday 18 January 2007 in Berlin, Germany, pointing to "certain agreements" being reached. They met for six hours on Tuesday and one and a half hours on Wednesday. North Korea has viewed these talks as the "bilateral negotiations" it has wanted with the U.S. for a long time, whereas the U.S. refers to it as talks in "preparation for the six-party talks". U.S. Deputy Assistant Treasury Secretary Daniel Glaser is due to hold talks with his North Korean counterpart, O Kwang Chol, in Beijing, China, on Tuesday 30 January 2007 regarding partial lifting of financial sanctions, thought to be around US$13 million of the US$24 million frozen in Macau's Banco Delta Asia. China has confirmed on Tuesday 30 January 2007 that the third phase of talks will commence on 8 February 2007. North Korea was reported to agree to freeze their nuclear program in exchange for 500,000 tons of fuel oil a year, similar to the 1994 Agreed Framework just before the third phase of talks started after a pre-talk one-on-one meeting between Kim and Hill. There were rumors that a U.S.-North Korean memorandum of understanding had been signed before this phase, although this was denied by U.S. Chief Representative Christopher Hill.

3rd phase (8 Feb – 13 Feb 2007)

Representatives : Chun Yung-woo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade : Kim Kye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs : Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Sasae Kenichiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau : Alexander Losyukov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

Joint Statement issued on Tuesday 13 February 2007, 3pm

* North Korea will shut down and seal the Yongbyon nuclear facility, including the reprocessing facility and invite back IAEA personnel to conduct all necessary monitoring and verifications

* In return, the other five parties in the six-party talks will provide emergency energy assistance to North Korea in the initial phase of 50,000 tons of heavy fuel oil, to commence within 60 days.

* All six parties agree to take positive steps to increase mutual trust, and make joint efforts for lasting peace and stability in Northeast Asia. Directly related parties will negotiate a permanent peace regime on the Korean Peninsula at an appropriate separate forum.

* All six parties agree on establishing five working groups - on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula, normalization of North Korea-U.S. relations, normalization of North Korea-Japan relations, economy and energy cooperation, as well as a joint Northeast Asia peace and security mechanism.

* The working groups will form specific plans for implementing the September 19 statement in their respective areas.

* All parties agree that all working groups will meet within the next 30 days

Details of assistance will be determined through consultations and appropriate assessments in the working group on economic and energy cooperation.

Once the initial actions are implemented, the six parties will promptly hold a ministerial meeting to confirm implementation of the joint document and explore ways and means for promoting security cooperation in Northeast Asia.

The sixth round of six-party talks will take place on March 19, 2007. This will be to hear reports of the working groups and discuss actions for the next phase.

Events during the 5th round, 3rd phase of talks China drew up a plan that was presented on Friday, 9 February 2007, building on the September 2005 agreement. It proposes that the Yongbyon 5MW(e) nuclear reactor be "suspended, shut down and sealed" within two months in exchange for energy supplies and economic aid by the other five countries to North Korea. It also proposed to establish "four to six" working groups on each of the outstanding issues not agreed on. Japan's Foreign Minister Taro Aso was reported to applaud the draft, hailing it as a breakthrough. However, Japanese chief representative Sasae Kenichiro and U.S. chief representative Christopher Hill were much more cautious, saying it was just a first step in a long process, but at least there was agreement by all parties on the fundamental points. North Korean chief representative Kim Kye-gwan said North Korea was "prepared to discuss initial denuclearization steps" but was "neither optimistic nor pessimistic because there are still a lot of problems to be resolved" China held one-on-one talks with each of the other five countries on Sunday 11 February 2007. The six countries' chief negotiators then had an hour-long meeting together in the afternoon. They did not announce any end date for this phase of talks after the meeting. China's plan has run into some difficulties regarding the steps North Korea will take to denuclearize in exchange for aid. The Japanese chief representative claimed North Korea was demanding too much compensation in return for denuclearization. South Korea's chief representative Chun Yung-woo said it was "unreasonable" to expect a breakthrough on Sunday 11 February 2007. Russia's chief representative Losyukov said that the chances of reaching a two-page joint statement are slim, and if this does not work out, a Chairman's Statement will be issued. On February 13, 2007, Christopher Hill announced that a tentative deal had been reached between the negotiators, and a "final text" was being circulated to the governments of the six parties for approval. Even before the deal had been approved, it was criticized by John Bolton, former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who said that it sent "exactly the wrong signal to would-be proliferators around the world". The Chairman's Statement adopted on February 13, 2007 was the result of 16 hours of grueling negotiations, finalized only at 2 a.m. on February 13, 2007. This was circulated to all six parties, and agreed on at around 3 p.m. that same day.

6th round

1st phase (19 Mar – 22 Mar 2007)

Representatives : Chun Yung-woo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade : Kim Kye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs : Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Sasae Kenichiro, Director-General for Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau : Alexander Losyukov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved On March 19, 2007, the US Chief Negotiator Christopher Hill announced that all of the $25 million in funds belonging to the North Koreans in Banco Delta Asia that were frozen before were being unfrozen to reciprocate the positive steps the North Koreans have taken towards freezing their Yongbyon nuclear reactor and readmitting IAEA inspectors, with a future goal towards total nuclear disarmament of the Korean peninsula. However, this issue was only put on the agenda on the morning of the talks instead of before hand, so the financial transaction ran into some problems in terms of time and being cleared (by the Bank of China) for the North Koreans. The North Koreans, led by Kim Kye-gwan, refused to negotiate further until they received their money. The Americans (Christopher Hill, not Daniel Glaser) denied responsibility for the delay, citing it as a "Chinese matter". The Chinese (Wu Dawei) in turn said "there wasn't enough time to accomplish the transaction". The Bank of China has been hesitant to accept the money as Banco Delta Asia has not been removed from the US' blacklist despite having the funds in question unfrozen. Nevertheless, none of the five other parties see this financial issue as posing any obstruction to the talks. "The resolution of the BDA issue is a question of time, not a question of political will,", Chun Yung-woo, the South Korean Chief Negotiator, said. The talks have been put on recess at the end of the fourth day of talks after progress was not possible after the second day.

The US has also admitted that this freezing of funds was a bargaining chip used to pressure North Korea to dismantle.

The talks were abandoned as North Korea refused to proceed without receiving the $25 million in their hands.

A South Korean newspaper reported that North Korea had taken steps to shut their Yongbyon 5MW(e) reactor though.

Events taken place between halt and resumption of 1st phase of the 6th round of talks

The 60-day deadline was obviously not met because of the above, though none of the six parties made much of a hassle about it. The US has urged North Korea to meet its commitments as soon as possible, citing this matter was no longer a US one. Russia, China and South Korea have urged patience. Japan is still pressing for the abduction issue to be resolved.

On June 11, 2007 Russia agreed to transfer the unfrozen North Korean funds from the Macao bank and transfer them to North Korea. On July 14, 2007, after receiving fuel aid from South Korea, North Korea declares it has closed the nuclear facilities at Yongbyon and says it is willing to dismantle all of its nuclear program. On July 18, 2007 IAEA inspectors verify that North Korea has closed its facilities.

Resumption of 1st phase (18 Jul – 20 Jul 2007)

Representatives : Chun Yung-woo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade : Kim Kye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs : Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Sasae Kenichiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau : Vladimir Rakhmanin, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved Joint Statement issued on Friday July 20, 2007

* The six parties expressed satisfaction with the constructive efforts made by all parties to advance the Six-Party Talks process and welcomed that productive bilateral consultations and coordination were conducted to enhance their mutual trust and improved relations with each other.

* The parties restated their commitment to the Joint Statement of 19 September 2005 and the agreement of 13 February 2007 and undertook to fulfill their respective obligations under those agreements in line with the principle of "action for action".

* North Korea confirmed its agreement to disclose all nuclear programs and disable all facilities related to its nuclear programs.

* Agreement for the five working groups to meet before August to discuss plans for the implementation of the general consensus.

* Talks will resume in September to hear the report of the working groups and work out a roadmap for implementing the general consensus. After the end of the next phase of talks the six parties will hold a ministerial meeting in Beijing as soon as possible to confirm and promote the implementation of the September 19 Joint Statement, the February 13 agreement and the general consensus, and explore ways and means to enhance security cooperation in Northeast Asia.

A deadline was not decided on during the talks until the working groups have a chance to meet. This is likely because the deadlines set in talks earlier in the year were not met. North Korea warned of a "crisis" over Japan's refusal to fund energy assistance. Japan says it will not share the costs of the assistance until North Korea resolves the abductee issue.

Events taken place between 1st and 2nd phase of the 6th round of talks South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun proposed forming a Korean Economic Community to be discussed in new inter-Korean talks. US President George Bush says he will work on a peace agreement on the Korean Peninsula when North Korea completely disarms. Israel reveals an IAF strike in Syria on September 6 was targeting a Syrian nuclear facility built with assistance from North Korea. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is replaced with Yasuo Fukuda. Fukuda has pledge to lead improve ties with North Korea.

2nd phase (27 Sep – 30 Sep 2007)

Representatives

: Chun Yung-woo, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade : Kim Kye-gwan, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Christopher Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs : Wu Dawei, Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs : Sasae Kenichiro, Deputy Director-General of Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau : Alexander Losyukov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs

Objectives achieved

Reports from working groups heard and endorsed.

Implementation of initial actions of February 13, 2007 Agreement confirmed

List of Second Phase Actions for Implementation of Joint Statement issued 2 October 2007.

* DPRK agreed to disable all nuclear facilities subject to September 2005 Joint Statement and February 13 Agreement, including the disablement of three facilities at Yongbyan by 31 December 2007: the 5 MW Experimental Reactor, the Reprocessing Plant, and the Nuclear Fuel Rod Fabrication Facility.

* The DPRK agreed to provide a complete and correct declaration of all its nuclear programs in accordance with the February 13 agreement by 31 December 2007.

* The DPRK and the United States will increase bilateral exchanges and enhance mutual trust. The U.S. will fulfill its commitments to the DPRK (regarding the processes of removing the designation of the DPRK as a state sponsor of terrorism, and that of terminating the application of the Trading with the Enemy Act to the DPRK) in parallel with the DPRK's actions, as based on consensus reached at the meetings of the Working Group on Normalization of DPRK-U.S. Relations.

* The DPRK and Japan will hold intensive consultations to make sincere efforts to normalize their relations expeditiously in accordance with the Pyongyang Declaration.

In accordance with the February 13 agreement, economic, energy and humanitarian assistance up to the equivalent of one million tons of HFO (inclusive of the 100,000 tons of HFO already delivered) will be provided to the DPRK. Specific modalities will be finalized through discussion by the Working Group on Economy and Energy Cooperation.

* The Parties reiterated that the Six-Party Ministerial Meeting will be held in Beijing at an appropriate time.

A final meeting was decided on before the end of 2007. However, this was never realized because despite the DPRK issuing a report of its inventory in November 2007 and thus claiming that since it fulfilled its side of the bargain, it was waiting for its promised shipment of aid, the US claimed the inventory list was definitely incomplete and until the complete list was given by the DPRK, aid would be suspended. There have been numerous US-DPRK bilateral meetings held in Beijing and Geneva since the end of this phase of this round of talks.

Yonhap News Agency, citing unnamed officials, claimed that with the new ROK government led by Lee Myung-bak since the end of 2007, the six-party talks' top negotiators will be replaced. AM Kim Sook is to replace Chun Yung-woo as the top negotiator, and Hwang Joon-kook is to replace Lim Sung-nam as the deputy.

Discontinuation of talks

On April 5, 2009, North Korea proceeded with its announced satellite launch, despite international pressure not to do so. The pressure was due to international belief that the "satellite" was in fact a test of North Korea's Taepodong-2 ICBM. The launch was a failure, and it landed in the Pacific Ocean. Despite the failure, U.S. President Barack Obama responded that "violations must be punished," ordered North Korea to be "punished." South Korea urged heavier sanctions against North Korea.

On April 13, 2009, the United Nations Security Council agreed unanimously to a Presidential Statement that condemned North Korea for the launch and stated the Council's intention to expand sanctions on North Korea.

On April 14, 2009, North Korea, responding angrily to the UN Security Council's resolution, said that it "will never again take part in such [six party] talks and will not be bound by any agreement reached at the talks." North Korea expelled nuclear inspectors from the country and also informed the International Atomic Energy Agency that they would resume their nuclear weapons program.

On May 25, 2009, North Korea detonated a nuclear device underground. The test was condemned by the United Nations, NATO, the other five members of the Six-party talks, and many other countries worldwide.

See also

North Korea – United States relations

Japan–Korea relations

U.S.-North Korea Agreed Framework

Yongbyon Nuclear Scientific Research Center

List of Korea-related topics

2006 North Korean nuclear test

Notes and references

External links

Initial Actions for the Implementation of the Joint Statement (Full text of Chairman's Statement), Ministry of Foreign Affairs, People's Republic of China, 13 February 2007

The Best U.S. Response to North Korea's Failed Missile Test ''NOW on PBS'', July 7, 2006

North Korean Denuclearisation: A Chinese View of the Way Forward, Acronym Institute, Disarmament Diplomacy, Spring 2006

, John S. Park, The Washington Quarterly, Vol. 28, No. 4, Autumn 2005

North Korea Says It Will Abandon Nuclear Efforts, New York Times, September 19, 2005

U.S.-Korean Deal on Arms Leaves Key Points Open, New York Times, September 20, 2005

Nuke talks reach agreements, Korea.Net, September 19, 2005

Full Text of Six-nation Statement on North Korea, Nautilus Institute, September 20, 2005

Light Water Reactors at the Six Party Talks: The Barrier that Makes the Water Flow, Nautilus Institute, September 21, 2005

Full text of Chairman's Statement, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, People's Republic of China, 11 November 2005

North Korea Unveils 5-Step Roadmap for Scrapping Nukes, Korea Times, 14 November 2005

North Korea and the “six-party talks”: a road to nowhere, David Wall, openDemocracy, 12 April 2006

Whither the Six-Party Talks? U.S. Institute of Peace Briefing, May 2006

A Denuclearization Deal in Beijing, Gavan McCormack, 2007-02-15 - step-by-step review of Bush policies towards the negotiations

North Korea and the Current Status of Six-Party Agreement, Christopher R. Hill, Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, House Foreign Affairs Committee, February 28, 2007

Richard S. Tracey ''Using the PATRIOT Act to Turn North Korea's Dirty Money into a Bargaining Chip'', Strategic Studies Quarterly, Summer 2009.

Category:History of international relations Category:Nuclear program of North Korea Category:Multilateral relations of Russia Category:Diplomatic conferences in China Category:21st-century diplomatic conferences Category:North Korea – South Korea relations

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Name	Kim Jong-il
Office	Supreme Leader of North Korea
President	Kim Yong-nam
Premier	Hong Song-namPak Pong-juKim Yong-ilChoe Yong-rim
Term start	8 July 1994
Predecessor	Kim Il-sung
Office2	Chairman of the National Defence Commission of North Korea
Deputy2	Jo Myong-rok (1993–2010) Chang Sung-taek (2010–)
Term start2	9 April 1993
Predecessor2	Position established
Office3	Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army
Term start3	24 December 1991
Predecessor3	Kim Il-sung
Office4	General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea
Term start4	8 October 1997
Predecessor4	Kim Il-sung
Office5	Chairman of the Central Military Commission of Worker's Party of Korea
Term start5	8 October 1997
Predecessor5	Kim Il-sung
Birth date	February 16, 1941Vyatskoye, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (Soviet records)February 16, 1942Baekdu Mountain, Japanese Korea (North Korean records)
Party	Workers' Party of Korea
Spouse	Kim Young-sookSong Hye-rimKo Young-heeKim Ok
Children	Kim Sul-songKim Jong-namKim Jong-chulKim Jong-un
Relations	Kim Il-sung (father, deceased)Kim Jong-suk (mother, deceased)
Alma mater	Kim Il-sung UniversityUniversity of Malta
Signature	Kim Jong-il Signature.png }}

Context	north
Hangul	김정일
Hanja
Rr	Gim Jeong(-)il
Mr	Kim Chŏngil }}

Kim Jong-il, also written as Kim Jong Il, born 16 February 1941 (Soviet records) or 16 February 1942 (North Korean records), is the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea). He is the Chairman of the National Defense Commission, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea, the ruling party since 1948, and the Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army, the fourth largest standing army in the world. In April 2009, North Korea's constitution was amended and now implicitly refers to him as the "''Supreme Leader''". He is also referred to as the "''Dear Leader''", "''our Father''", "''the General''" and "''Generalissimo''". His son Kim Jong-un was promoted to a senior position in the ruling Worker's Party and is heir apparent.

Childhood

Birth

Soviet records show that Kim Jong-il was born in the village of Vyatskoye, near Khabarovsk, in 1941, where his father, Kim Il-sung, commanded the 1st Battalion of the Soviet 88th Brigade, made up of Chinese and Korean exiles. Kim Jong-il's mother, Kim Jong-suk, was Kim Il-sung's first wife.

Kim Jong-il's official biography states that he was born in a secret military camp on Baekdu Mountain in Japanese Korea on 16 February 1942. Official biographers claim that his birth at Baekdu Mountain was foretold by a swallow, and heralded by the appearance of a double rainbow over the mountain and a new star in the heavens.

In 1945, Kim was three or four years old (depending on his birth year) when World War II ended and Korea regained independence from Japan. His father returned to Pyongyang that September, and in late November Kim returned to Korea via a Soviet ship, landing at Sonbong (선봉군, also Unggi). The family moved into a former Japanese officer's mansion in Pyongyang, with a garden and pool. Kim Jong-il's brother, "Shura" Kim (the first Kim Jong-il, but known by his Russian nickname), drowned there in 1948. Unconfirmed reports suggest that 5 year old Kim Jong-il might have caused the accident. In 1949, his mother died in childbirth. Unconfirmed reports suggest that his mother might have been shot and left to bleed to death.

Education

According to his official biography, Kim completed the course of general education between September 1950 and August 1960. He attended Primary School No. 4 and Middle School No. 1 (Namsan Higher Middle School) in Pyongyang This is contested by foreign academics, who believe he is more likely to have received his early education in the People's Republic of China as a precaution to ensure his safety during the Korean War.

Throughout his schooling, Kim was involved in politics. He was active in the Children's Union and the Democratic Youth League (DYL), taking part in study groups of Marxist political theory and other literature. In September 1957 he became vice-chairman of his middle school's DYL branch. He pursued a programme of anti-factionalism and attempted to encourage greater ideological education among his classmates.

Kim is also said to have received English language education at the University of Malta in the early 1970s, on his infrequent holidays in Malta as guest of Prime Minister Dom Mintoff.

The elder Kim had meanwhile remarried and had another son, Kim Pyong-il (named after Kim Jong-il's drowned brother). Since 1988, Kim Pyong-il has served in a series of North Korean embassies in Europe and is currently the North Korean ambassador to Poland. Foreign commentators suspect that Kim Pyong-il was sent to these distant posts by his father in order to avoid a power struggle between his two sons.

Presidium member and party secretary (1980–1994)

By the time of the Sixth Party Congress in October 1980, Kim Jong-il's control of the Party operation was complete. He was given senior posts in the Politburo, the Military Commission and the party Secretariat. When he was made a member of the Seventh Supreme People's Assembly in February 1982, international observers deemed him the heir apparent of North Korea.

At this time Kim assumed the title "Dear Leader" (친애하는 지도자, ''chinaehaneun jidoja'') the government began building a personality cult around him patterned after that of his father, the "Great Leader". Kim Jong-il was regularly hailed by the media as the "fearless leader" and "the great successor to the revolutionary cause". He emerged as the most powerful figure behind his father in North Korea.

On 24 December 1991, Kim was also named supreme commander of the North Korean armed forces. Since the Army is the real foundation of power in North Korea, this was a vital step. Defense Minister Oh Jin-wu, one of Kim Il-sung's most loyal subordinates, engineered Kim Jong-il's acceptance by the Army as the next leader of North Korea, despite his lack of military service. The only other possible leadership candidate, Prime Minister Kim Il (no relation), was removed from his posts in 1976. In 1992, Kim Il-sung publicly stated that his son was in charge of all internal affairs in the Democratic People's Republic.

In 1992, radio broadcasts started referring to him as the "Dear Father", instead of the "Dear Leader", suggesting a promotion. His 50th birthday in February was the occasion for massive celebrations, exceeded only by those for the 80th birthday of Kim Il Sung himself on 15 April.

According to defector Hwang Jang-yop, the North Korean goverment system became even more centralized and autocratic during the 1980s and 1990s under Kim Jong-il than it had been under his father. In one example explained by Hwang, although Kim Il-sung required his ministers to be loyal to him, he nonetheless and frequently sought their advice during decision-making. In contrast, Kim Jong-il demands absolute obedience and agreement from his ministers and party officals with no advice or compromise, and he views any slight deviation from his thinking as a sign of disloyalty. According to Hwang, Kim Jong-il personally directs even minor details of state affairs, such as the size of houses for party secretaries and the delivery of gifts to his subordinates.

By the 1980s, North Korea began to experience severe economic stagnation. Kim Il-sung's policy of ''juche'' (self-reliance) cut the country off from almost all external trade, even with its traditional partners, the Soviet Union and China.

South Korea accused Kim of ordering the 1983 bombing in Rangoon, Burma (now Yangon, Myanmar), which killed 17 visiting South Korean officials, including four cabinet members, and another in 1987 which killed all 115 on board Korean Air Flight 858. A North Korean agent, Kim Hyon Hui, confessed to planting a bomb in the case of the second, saying the operation was ordered by Kim Jong-il personally.

In 1992, Kim Jong-il's voice was broadcast within North Korea for the first time during a military parade for the KPA's 60th year anniversary in Pyongyang's then Central Square (Kim Il-sung Square at present), in which Kim Il-sung attended with Kim Jong-il by his side. After Kim Il-sung's speech, his son approached the microphone at the grandstand and simply said: "Glory to the heroic soldiers of the Korean People's Army!" Everyone in the audience clapped and the parade participants at the square grounds (which included veteran soldiers and officers of the KPA) shouted "ten thousand years" three times after that.

Ruler of North Korea

On 8 July 1994, Kim Il-sung died, at the age of 82 from a heart attack. However, it took three years for Kim Jong-il to consolidate his power. He officially took the titles of General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and chairman of the National Defense Commission on 8 October 1997. In 1998, his Defense Commission chairmanship was declared to be "the highest post of the state", so Kim may be regarded as North Korea's head of state from that date. Also in 1998, the Supreme People's Assembly wrote the president's post out of the constitution in memory of Kim Il-Sung, who was designated the country's "Eternal President". It can be argued, though, that he became the country's leader when he became leader of the Workers' Party; in most Communist countries the party leader is the most powerful person in the country.

Officially, Kim is part of a triumvirate heading the executive branch of the North Korean government along with Premier Choe Yong-rim and parliament chairman Kim Yong-nam (no relations). Each nominally has powers equivalent to a third of a president's powers in most other presidential systems. Kim Jong-il is commander of the armed forces, Choe Yong-rim heads the government and Kim Yong-nam handles foreign relations. In practice, however, Kim Jong-il exercises absolute control over the government and the country.

Although Kim is not required to stand for popular election to his key offices, he is unanimously elected to the Supreme People's Assembly every five years, representing a military constituency, due to his concurrent capacities as KPA Supreme Commander and Chairman of the DPRK NDC.

Economic policies

The state-controlled economy of North Korea struggled throughout the 1990s, primarily due to the loss of strategic trade arrangements with the Soviet Union and strained relations with China following China's normalization with South Korea in 1992. In addition, North Korea experienced record-breaking floods (1995 and 1996) followed by several years of equally severe drought beginning in 1997. This, compounded with only 18% arable land and an inability to import the goods necessary to sustain industry, led to an immense famine and left North Korea in economic shambles. Faced with a country in decay, Kim adopted a "Military-First" policy (선군정치, Sŏn'gun chŏngch'i) to strengthen the country and reinforce the regime. On the national scale, this policy has produced a positive growth rate for the country since 1996, and the implementation of "landmark socialist-type market economic practices" in 2002 kept the North afloat despite a continued dependency on foreign aid for food.

In the wake of the devastation of the 1990s, the government began formally approving some activity of small-scale bartering and trade. As observed by Daniel Sneider, associate director for research at the Stanford University Asia-Pacific Research Center, this flirtation with capitalism is "fairly limited, but — especially compared to the past — there are now remarkable markets that create the semblance of a free market system." In 2002, Kim Jong-il declared that "money should be capable of measuring the worth of all commodities." These gestures toward economic reform mirror similar actions taken by China's Deng Xiaoping in the late 1980s and early 90s. During a rare visit in 2006, Kim expressed admiration for China's rapid economic progress.

Foreign relations

In 1998, South Korean President Kim Dae-jung implemented the "Sunshine Policy" to improve North-South relations and to allow South Korean companies to start projects in the North. Kim Jong-il announced plans to import and develop new technologies to develop North Korea's fledgling software industry. As a result of the new policy, the Kaesong Industrial Park was constructed in 2003 just north of the de-militarized zone, with the planned participation of 250 South Korean companies, employing 100,000 North Koreans, by 2007. However, by March 2007, the Park contained only 21 companies — employing 12,000 North Korean workers. As of May 2010 the park employs over 40,000 North Korean workers.

In 1994, North Korea and the United States signed an Agreed Framework which was designed to freeze and eventually dismantle the North's nuclear weapons program in exchange for aid in producing two power-generating nuclear reactors. In 2002, Kim Jong-il's government admitted to having produced nuclear weapons since the 1994 agreement. Kim's regime argued the secret production was necessary for security purposes — citing the presence of United States-owned nuclear weapons in South Korea and the new tensions with the US under President George W. Bush. On 9 October 2006, North Korea's Korean Central News Agency announced that it had successfully conducted an underground nuclear test.

2008 health and waning power rumors

In an August 2008 issue of the Japanese newsweekly Shukan Gendai, Waseda University professor Toshimitsu Shigemura, an authority on the Korean Peninsula, claimed that Kim Jong-il died of diabetes in late 2003 and had been replaced in public appearances by one or more stand-ins previously employed to protect him from assassination attempts. In a subsequent best-selling book, ''The True Character of Kim Jong-il'', Shigemura cited apparently un-named people close to Kim's family along with Japanese and South Korean intelligence sources, claiming they confirmed Kim's diabetes took a turn for the worse early in 2000 and from then until his supposed death three and a half years later he was using a wheelchair. Shigemura moreover claimed a voiceprint analysis of Kim speaking in 2004 did not match a known earlier recording. It was also noted that Kim Jong-il did not appear in public for the Olympic torch relay in Pyongyang on 28 April 2008. The question had reportedly "baffled foreign intelligence agencies for years."

On 9 September 2008, various sources reported that after he did not show up that day for a military parade celebrating North Korea's 60th anniversary, US intelligence agencies believed Kim might be "gravely ill" after having suffered a stroke. He had last been seen in public a month earlier. A former CIA official said earlier reports of a health crisis were likely to be accurate. North Korean media remained silent on the issue. An Associated Press report said analysts believed Kim had been supporting moderates in the foreign ministry, while North Korea's powerful military was against so-called "Six-Party" negotiations with China, Japan, Russia, South Korea and the United States aimed towards ridding North Korea of nuclear weapons. Some US officials noted that soon after rumours about Kim's health were publicized a month before, North Korea had taken a "tougher line in nuclear negotiations." In late August North Korea's official news agency reported the government would "consider soon a step to restore the nuclear facilities in Yongbyon to their original state as strongly requested by its relevant institutions." Analysts said this meant "the military may have taken the upper hand and that Kim might no longer be wielding absolute authority."

By 10 September there were conflicting reports. Unidentified South Korean government officials said Kim had undergone surgery after suffering a minor stroke and had apparently "intended to attend 9 September event in the afternoon but decided not to because of the aftermath of the surgery." High ranking North Korean official Kim Yong-nam said, "While we wanted to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the country with General Secretary Kim Jong-Il, we celebrated on our own." Song Il-Ho, North Korea's ambassador said, "We see such reports as not only worthless, but rather as a conspiracy plot." Seoul's ''Chosun Ilbo'' newspaper reported that "the South Korean embassy in Beijing had received an intelligence report that Kim collapsed on 22 August." The ''New York Times'' reported Kim was "very ill and most likely suffered a stroke a few weeks ago, but US intelligence authorities do not think his death is imminent." The BBC noted that the North Korean government denied these reports, stating that Kim's health problems were "not serious enough to threaten his life," although they did confirm that he had suffered from a stroke on 15 August.

Japan's Kyodo news agency reported on 14 September that "Kim collapsed on 14 August due to stroke or a cerebral hemorrhage, and that Beijing dispatched five military doctors at the request of Pyongyang. Kim will require a long period of rest and rehabilitation before he fully recovers and has complete command of his limbs again, as with typical stroke victims." Japan's Mainichi Shimbun said Kim occasionally lost consciousness since April. Japan's ''Tokyo Shimbun'' on 15 September added that Kim was staying at the Bongwha State Guest House. He was apparently conscious "but he needs some time to recuperate from the recent stroke, with some parts of his hands and feet paralyzed". It cited Chinese sources which claimed that one cause for the stroke could have been stress brought about by the US delay to remove North Korea from its list of state sponsors of terrorism.

On 19 October, North Korea reportedly ordered its diplomats to stay near their embassies to await “an important message”, according to Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, setting off renewed speculation about the health of the ailing leader.

By 29 October 2008, reports stated Kim suffered a serious setback and had been taken back to hospital. The New York Times reported that Taro Aso, on 28 October 2008, stated in a parliamentary session that Kim had been hospitalized: "His condition is not so good. However, I don't think he is totally incapable of making decisions." Aso further said a French neurosurgeon was aboard a plane for Beijing, en route to North Korea. Further, Kim Sung-ho, director of South Korea's National Intelligence Service, told lawmakers in a closed parliamentary session in Seoul that "Kim appeared to be recovering quickly enough to start performing his daily duties." The Dong-a Ilbo newspaper reported "a serious problem" with Kim's health. Japan's Fuji Television Network reported that Kim's eldest son, Kim Jong Nam, traveled to Paris to hire a neurosurgeon for his father, and showed footage where the surgeon boarded flight CA121 bound for Pyongyang from Beijing on 24 October. The French weekly ''Le Point'' identified him as Francois-Xavier Roux, neurosurgery director of Paris' Sainte-Anne Hospital, but Roux himself stated he was in Beijing for several days and not North Korea.

On 5 November 2008, the North's Korean Central News Agency published 2 photos showing Kim posing with dozens of Korean People's Army (KPA) soldiers on a visit to military Unit 2200 and sub-unit of Unit 534. Shown with his usual bouffant hairstyle, with his trademark sunglasses and a white winter parka, Kim stood in front of trees with autumn foliage and a red-and-white banner. ''The Times'' questioned the authenticity of at least one of these photos.

In November 2008, Japan's TBS TV network reported that Kim had suffered a second stroke in October, which "affected the movement of his left arm and leg and also his ability to speak." However, South Korea's intelligence agency rejected this report.

In response to the rumors regarding Kim's health and supposed loss of power, in April 2009, North Korea released a video showing Kim visiting factories and other places around the country between November and December 2008. In July 2009, it was reported that Kim may be suffering from pancreatic cancer.

In 2010, documents released by Wikileaks stated that Kim suffers from epilepsy.

Successor

Kim's three sons and his son-in-law, along with O Kuk-ryol, an army general, have been noted as possible successors, but the North Korean government has been wholly silent on this matter. Kim Yong Hyun, a political expert at the Institute for North Korean Studies at Seoul's Dongguk University, has said, "Even the North Korean establishment would not advocate a continuation of the family dynasty at this point." Kim's eldest son Kim Jong-nam was earlier believed to be the designated heir but he appears to have fallen out of favor after being arrested at Narita International Airport near Tokyo in 2001 while traveling on a forged passport.

On 2 June 2009, it was reported that Kim Jong Il's youngest son, Jong Un, was to be North Korea's next leader. Like his father and grandfather, he has also been given an official sobriquet, The Brilliant Comrade. It has been reported that Kim Jong Il is expected to officially designate the son as his successor in 2012. However, there are reports that if leadership passes to one of the sons, Kim Jong Il's brother-in-law, Chang Sung-taek, could attempt to take power from him.

Re-election as DPRK leader

On 9 April 2009, Kim was re-elected as chairman of the DPRK National Defence Commission, and made an appearance at the Supreme People's Assembly. This was the first time Kim was seen in public since August 2008. He was unanimously re-elected and given a standing ovation.

2009 imprisonment and pardoning of American journalists

In March 2009, the North Korean military detained two American journalists, Euna Lee and Laura Ling, who were working for the US independent cable television network Current TV, after they allegedly crossed into North Korea from the People's Republic of China without a visa. The two reporters were found guilty of illegal entry and subsequently sentenced to twelve years of hard labor. Reporters Without Borders characterized the trial and sentencing as a "sham trial", and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton initially stated that the charges against the journalists were "baseless".

On 4 August 2009, former US President Bill Clinton met with Kim Jong-il during a "solely private mission to secure the release of Euna Lee and Laura Ling." According to the KCNA, Clinton conveyed a verbal message to Kim from President Barack Obama, a claim denied by the Obama administration. Clinton and Kim had "an exhaustive conversation" that included "a wide-ranging exchange of views on the matters of common concern," KCNA reported. KCNA also reported that the National Defence Commission of North Korea, of which the Dear Leader is the Chairman, hosted a dinner in honor of Clinton, but did not go into detail about what was discussed at the reception. In the early morning hours (UTC+9) of 5 August, KCNA announced that Kim Jong-il had issued a pardon to Lee and Ling.

2010 and 2011 foreign visits

Kim was reported to have visited the People's Republic of China in May 2010. He entered the country by his personal train on 3 May, and stayed in a hotel in Dalian. Kim travelled to China again in August 2010, this time with his son, fueling speculation that he is ready to hand over power to son Kim Jong-un. He returned to China again in May 2011, marking the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance between China and the DPRK. In late August 2011, he travelled by train to the Russian Far East to meet with President Dmitri Medvedev for unspecified talks.

Cult of personality

Kim Jong-il is the centre of an elaborate personality cult inherited from his father and founder of the DPRK, Kim Il-sung. Defectors have been quoted as saying that North Korean schools deify both father and son. He is often the centre of attention throughout ordinary life in the DPRK. On his 60th birthday (based on his official date of birth), mass celebrations occurred throughout the country on the occasion of his Hwangap. Many North Koreans believe that he has the "magical" ability to "control the weather" based on his mood. In 2010, the North Korean media reported that Kim's distinctive clothing had set worldwide fashion trends.

One point of view is that Kim Jong Il's cult of personality is solely out of respect for Kim Il-sung or out of fear of punishment for failure to pay homage. Media and government sources from outside of North Korea generally support this view, while North Korean government sources say that it is genuine hero worship. The song "No Motherland Without You", sung by the KPA State Merited Choir, was created especially for Kim in 1992 and is frequently broadcasted on the radio and from loudspeakers on the streets of Pyongyang.

Personal life

Family

There is no official information available about Kim Jong-il's marital history, but he is believed to have been officially married once and to have had three mistresses. He has four known children:

Kim Sul-song (daughter)

Kim Jong-nam (son)

Kim Jong-chul (son)

Kim Jong-un (son)

Kim's first wife, Kim Young-sook, was the daughter of a high-ranking military official. His father Kim Il-Sung handpicked her to marry his son. They had one son, Kim Jong-nam (born 1971) who is Kim Jong-il's eldest son.

His second mistress, Ko Young-hee, was a Japanese-born ethnic Korean and a dancer. She had taken over the role of First Lady until her death — reportedly of cancer — in 2004. They had two sons, Kim Jong-chul, in 1981, and Kim Jong-un (also "Jong Woon" or "Jong Woong"), in 1983.

Since Ko's death, Kim has been living with Kim Ok, his third mistress, who had served as his personal secretary since the 1980s. She "virtually acts as North Korea's first lady" and frequently accompanies Kim on his visits to military bases and in meetings with visiting foreign dignitaries. She traveled with Kim Jong Il on a secretive trip to China in January 2006, where she was received by Chinese officials as Kim's wife.

Kim Jong-il is also reported to have a younger sister, Kim Kyong-Hui (김경희).

Personality

Like his father, Kim has a fear of flying, and has always traveled by private armored train for state visits to Russia and China. The BBC reported that Konstantin Pulikovsky, a Russian emissary who traveled with Kim across Russia by train, told reporters that Kim had live lobsters air-lifted to the train every day.

Kim is said to be a huge film fan, owning a collection of more than 20,000 video tapes and DVDs. His reported favorite movie franchises include ''Friday the 13th'', ''Rambo'', ''Godzilla'', and Hong Kong action cinema, and any movie starring Elizabeth Taylor. He is the author of the book ''On the Art of the Cinema''. In 1978, on Kim's orders, South Korean film director Shin Sang-ok and his actress wife Choi Eun-hee were kidnapped in order to build a North Korean film industry. In 2006 he was involved in the production of the Juche-based movie ''Diary of a Girl Student'' – depicting the life of a girl whose parents are scientists – with a KCNA news report stating that Kim "improved its script and guided its production".

Although Kim enjoys many foreign forms of entertainment, according to former bodyguard Lee Young Kuk, he refused to consume any food or drink not produced in North Korea, with the exception of wine from France. His former sushi chef Kenji Fujimoto, however, has stated that Kim has sometimes sent him around the world to purchase a variety of foreign delicacies.

Kim reportedly also enjoys basketball. Former United States Secretary of State Madeleine Albright ended her summit with Kim by presenting him with a basketball signed by NBA legend Michael Jordan. Also an apparent golfer, North Korean state media reports that Kim routinely shoots three or four holes-in-one per round. His official biography also claims Kim has composed six operas and enjoys staging elaborate musicals. Kim also refers to himself as an Internet expert.

US Special Envoy for the Korean Peace Talks, Charles Kartman, who was involved in the 2000 Madeleine Albright summit with Kim, characterised Kim Jong-il as a reasonable man in negotiations, to the point, but with a sense of humor and personally attentive to the people he was hosting. However, psychological evaluations conclude that Kim Jong-il's antisocial features, such as his fearlessness in the face of sanctions and punishment, serve to make negotiations extraordinarily difficult.

The field of psychology has long been fascinated with the personality assessment of dictators, a notion that resulted in an extensive personality evaluation of Kim Jong-il. The report, compiled by Frederick L. Coolidge and Daniel L. Segal (with the assistance of a South Korean psychiatrist considered an expert on Kim Jong-il's behavior), concluded that the “big six” group of personality disorders shared by dictators Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, and Saddam Hussein (sadistic, paranoid, antisocial, narcissistic, schizoid and schizotypal) were also shared by Kim Jong-il—coinciding primarily with the profile of Saddam Hussein. The evaluation also finds that Kim Jong-il appears to pride himself on North Korea's independence, despite the extreme hardships it appears to place on the North Korean people—an attribute appearing to emanate from his antisocial personality pattern. This notion also encourages other cognitive issues, such as self-deception, as subsidiary components to Kim Jong-il's personality. Many of the stories about Kim Jong Il's eccentricities and decadent life-style are exaggerated, possibly circulated by South Korean intelligence to discredit the Northern regime. Defectors claim that Kim has 17 different palaces and residences all over North Korea, including a private resort near Baekdu Mountain, a seaside lodge in the city of Wonsan, and a palace complex northeast of Pyongyang surrounded with multiple fence lines, bunkers and anti-aircraft batteries.

Finances

According to the ''Sunday Telegraph'', Kim has US$4 billion on deposit in European banks in case he ever needs to flee North Korea. The Sunday Telegraph reported that most of the money was in banks in Luxembourg.

Official titles

Party Center of the WPK (1970's)

Vice-Chairman, WPK Central Committee (1972–80)

Dear Leader (''Chinaehanuen Jidoja'') (late 1970s-1994)

Intelligent Leader (1973–84)

Member, Presidum of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK

Secretary of the Worker's Party of Korea (1980–94)

Supreme Commander of the Korean People's Army (25 December 1991-)

Marshal of the DPRK (1993-)

Chairman, National Defense Commission of North Korea (born 1993)

Great Leader (''Widehan Ryongdoja'') (July 1994-)

General Secretary, Workers Party of Korea (born 1997)

Supreme Leader of the Republic (born 2009)

See also

List of Korea-related topics

Sinuiju North Korean Leader's Residence

North Korea

Notes and references

Further reading

Jasper Becker, "Rogue Regime: Kim John Il and the Looming Threat of North Korea", Oxford University Press (October 2006), Softcover, 328 pages, ISBN 0-19-530891-3

Michael Breen, ''Kim Jong-il: North Korea's Dear Leader'', John Wiley and Sons (January 2004), hardcover, 228 pages, ISBN 0-470-82131-0

Bradley Martin, ''Under The Loving Care Of The Fatherly Leader: North Korea And The Kim Dynasty'', St. Martins (October 2004), hardcover, 868 pages, ISBN 0-312-32221-6

Kim Chol U, ''Army-Centred Politics Of Kim Jong Il'', Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 2002, Softcover, 98 pages

Kim Jong Il Brief History, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1998, Hardcover, 149 pages

Kim Jong Il Short Biography, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 2001, Hardcover, 215 pages

Pae Kyong Su, Kim Jong Il The Individual Thoughts And Leadership Vol. 1, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1993, Softcover, 225 pages

Pae Kyong Su, Kim Jong Il The Individual Thoughts And Leadership Vol. 2, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1995, Softcover, 164 pages

Nada Takashi, Korea In Kim Jong Il's Era, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 2000, Softcover, 163 pages

Li Il Bok, The Great Man Kim Jong Il, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1989, Softcover, 167 pages

Ri Il Bok, The Great Man Kim Jong Il Vol. 2, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1995, Softcover, 84 pages

Jo Song Baek, The Leadership Philosophy Of Kim Jong Il, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1999, Softcover, 261 pages

Guiding Light General Kim Jong Il, Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang, North Korea, 1997, Softcover, 357 pages

External links

 – Foreign Languages Publishing House, Pyongyang DPR Korea (1998)

Born in the USSR – Kim Jong-il's childhood.

The many family secrets of Kim Jong Il

(also includes photos of Kim during his youth)

Kim's family tree

BBC, North Korea's secretive 'first family'

BBC, Profile: Kim Jong-il

BBC, Who will succeed N Korea's Kim Jong-il?

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Category:1941 births Category:Living people Category:Alumni of the University of Malta Category:Anti-Revisionists Category:Communist rulers Category:Current national leaders Category:Heads of state of North Korea Category:Leaders of political parties in North Korea Category:Members of the Supreme People's Assembly of North Korea Category:Military brats Category:North Korean billionaires Category:People from Khabarovsk Krai Category:People with epilepsy Category:Stroke survivors Category:Workers' Party of Korea politicians Category:Marxist theorists Category:Kim Il-sung family

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Name	Stephen Warren Bosworth
Alt	Stephen W. Bosworth. U.S. State Department official photograph
Birth date	December 04, 1939
Death date
Resting place coordinates
Citizenship
Alma mater	Dartmouth College
Employer	Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy
Occupation	Professorretired diplomat
Title	Dean
Boards	Council on Foreign RelationsJapan Society of BostonInternational Board of Advisers for the President of the Republic of the Philippines
Spouse	former Christine Holmes
Children	two daughters & two sons
Awards	American Academy of Diplomacy’s Diplomat of the Year Award in 1987Department of State’s Distinguished Service Award in 1976 and 1986Department of Energy’s Distinguished Service Award in 1979Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star (Japan, 2005)
Footnotes

Stephen Warren Bosworth (born 4 December 1939) is Dean of The Fletcher School at Tufts University and serves as United States Special Representative for North Korea Policy. He has served three times as a U.S. Ambassador, to South Korea (1997–2001), to the Philippines (1984–1987), and to Tunisia (1979–1981). In 1987, he was recipient of American Academy of Diplomacy's Diplomat of the Year Award.

In February 2009 U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton named Bosworth Special Representative for North Korea policy.

Before his appointment as Ambassador to South Korea he was the Executive Director of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (1995–1997). Before coming to KEDO, he was president of the United States Japan Foundation.

Prior to 1984, his previous foreign service assignments include Paris, Madrid, Panama City, and Washington DC where he was the State Department’s Director of Policy Planning, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for inter-American affairs, and Deputy Assistant Secretary for Economic Affairs.

He is currently a member of the International Board of Advisers for the president of the Philippines, and is also a member of the boards of International Textile Group and Franklin Templeton Investment Trust Management Co. (Korea). He is a member of the Trilateral Commission.

At times he has held teaching and oversight positions at various colleges and universities: Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs (1990–1994); Linowitz Chair of International Studies, Hamilton College (1993); Trustee, Dartmouth College (1992–2002), Chairman of Board of Trustees, (1996–1999).

He holds an A.B. (1961) and an LL.D. (honorary doctorate) (1986) from Dartmouth College. He was a graduate student at George Washington University.

Writings

References

External links

Ambassador Bosworth Speaks on North Korea Policy at The Korea Society's 2009 Annual Dinner

Stephen Bosworth on the Korean Conflict, selected quotes, National Campaign to End the Korean War

U.S. Department of State: Biography of Stephen W. Bosworth

Category:United States ambassadors to the Philippines Category:Dartmouth College alumni Category:George Washington University alumni Category:Tufts University faculty Category:1939 births Category:Living people Category:United States ambassadors to Korea Category:United States ambassadors to Tunisia Category:Columbia University faculty Category:Hamilton College (New York) faculty

fr:Stephen Bosworth ko:스티븐 보즈워스 ja:スティーブン・ボズワース tl:Stephen W. Bosworth

name	Hart Hanson
birth date	July 26, 1957
birth place	Burlingame, California, United States.
occupation	Writer, Producer
children	}}

Hart Hanson (born July 26, 1957 in Burlingame, California ) is an American television writer and producer. Hanson's family moved to Canada when he was a child. He received a B.A. from the University of Toronto and a MFA from the University of British Columbia, where he taught briefly. He is the creator, executive producer, and writer of the TV series ''Bones''.

Filmography

''African Skies'' (1991), Writer.

''Candles, Snow & Mistletoe'' (1993), Writer.

''Trust in Me'' (1994), Writer.

''Guitarman'' (1994), Writer.

''Whale Music'' (1994), Story Editor.

''Nobody's Business'' (1995), Writer.

''Expert Witness'' (2003), Executive Producer.

Television

''Neon Rider'' (1991), Writer.

''The Odyssey'' (1992–1994), Writer, Director, Story Editor.

''Road to Avonlea'' (1992–1996), Writer.

''Ready Or Not'' (1993), Writer.

''North of 60'' (1994–1996), Writer.

''Street Legal'' (1994), Writer.

''Trust in Me'' (1994), Associate Producer

''Traders'' (1996–2000), Writer, Supervising Producer.

''The Outer Limits'' (1997), Writer.

''Stargate SG-1'' (1997–1999), Writer.

''Cupid'' (1998–1999), Writer, Consulting/Supervising Producer.

''Snoops'' (1999), Co-Executive Producer.

''Judging Amy'' (2000–2003), Writer, Consulting/Executive Producer.

''Joan of Arcadia'' (2003–2004), Writer, Consulting Producer.

''Bones'' (2005–Present), Creator, Writer, Executive Producer.

Awards and nominations

Hanson has won 4 Gemini Awards.

External links

IMDb

Hart Hanson's Twitter feed

Category:1957 births Category:Living people Category:American expatriates in Canada Category:People from California Category:University of Toronto alumni Category:American television producers Category:Gemini Award winners Category:American soap opera writers Category:American television writers

es:Hart Hanson pl:Hart Hanson sh:Hart Hanson

name	Manouchehr Mottaki
birth date	May 12, 1953
birth place	Bandar Gaz, Iran
office	Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iran
term start	24 August 2005
term end	13 December 2010
deputy	Saeed JaliliMohammad-Ali Hosseini
president	Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
predecessor	Kamal Kharazi
successor	Ali Akbar Salehi
office2	Member of Parliament of Iran
term start2	3 May 1980
term end2	3 May 1984
constituency2	Tehran
term start3	3 May 2004
term end3	24 August 2005
constituency3	Tehran
party	Islamic Society of Engineers
spouse	Tahere Nazari
religion	Shia Islam }}

Manouchehr Mottaki (; born 12 May 1953) is an Iranian politician and diplomat. He was the Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Whilst technically appointed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he is considered to be closer to more pragmatic conservative factions and during the 2005 presidential election, he was the campaign manager of Ali Larijani, the Muslim conservative candidate.

Life and career

Mottaki was born in Bandar-e-gaz County and went to school there. Bandar-Gaz was considered an important city in the north with a national railroad and several infrastructures during the Reza Shah Pahlavi regime due to its position as a transit bridge to the north mainly to the former Soviet Union. After graduation, he joined the army and as national plan joined the public education program by that day which was conducted by the government. He went to Khorasan province and established a school in a poor village around Mashhad and taught there. After his service in the army, since he was interested in social and political issues, he decided to travel abroad both for experience and study. By that time many Iranians traveled to India, which was seen as a popular academic destination. So he traveled there for a few years before the Iranian Revolution.

Mottaki holds a master's degree in international relations from the University of Tehran and a bachelor's degree from Bangalore University in India.

After the revolution, Mottaki was elected by the people in his home town and the neighboring cities as the first parliament representative and assigned by other representatives as the head of the national security and foreign policy committee due to his politic and diplomatic talents. During his years in Majlis (Congress) and effective collaboration with the foreign ministry, he was employed by the ministry after parliament. He already served as member of parliament in the first Majlis, head of the 7th political bureau of Foreign Ministry (1984), Iran's ambassador to Turkey (1985), Foreign Ministry's secretary general for Western European affairs (1989), deputy foreign minister for international affairs (1989) and deputy foreign minister for legal, consular and parliamentary affairs (1992). He has also been Iran's ambassador to Japan (1994), advisor to foreign minister (1999), deputy head of Culture and Islamic Communications Organization (2001) and Head of Foreign Relations Committee of the 7th Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission. He then developed within the ministry during 24 years of continuous presence in different positions. He worked in many positions in the Majlis until President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appointed him as Foreign Minister.

Notable positions

Referring to the controversy over Iran's nuclear program, Mottaki has said the referral of the issue to the UN Security Council would be a detrimental move. He has called for negotiations and said Iran does not seek nuclear weapons, and instead wants the same rights as other members of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty.

Mottaki has condemned the outcry over President Ahmadinejad's comments on Israel, calling them a "misunderstanding." At the same time, he has called the Israeli government a "Zionist regime" and said of Israel that Iran was "facing a mad people, which is ruled by madmen."

In July, 2010, in one report from the International Foreign Ministerial Meeting in Kabul, "American, European and other foreign leaders [including] ... Mottaki ... and Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi [and] Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-Moon met ... to pledge anew their support for Afghanistan as they committed to complete transition of security and budgeting responsibility to the Afghan government by 2014. They acknowledged that neither the people of their own countries nor those in Afghanistan had much patience left. ... The Iranian Foreign Minister used the conference as an opportunity to get in some digs at the foreign forces. The criticism came just a few weeks after the United Nations Security Council voted to enforce sanctions against Iran for failing to halt its nuclear program. 'The presence and increase in the number of foreign forces is one of the factors in the insecurity, violence and dissatisfaction of the public,' said ... Mottaki .... A moment later the United Nations special representative to Afghanistan, Staffan de Mistura, interrupted and told him to get to the point." Another report from Kabul added "Mottaki accused the U.S., Pakistan and allied forces of utilizing Afghanistan to support terrorist strikes inside Iran, including last week's bomb blasts in ... Zahedan, ... Sistan-Baluchistan province." This report said United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton "hadn't heard [the] comments ... charging the U.S. with supporting terrorism inside Iran"; and said that "Mottaki exceeded his allotted time giving his speech, earning a rebuke from the conference's organizers. The Iranian diplomat said he had the right to give an extended account of the situation in Afghanistan, as Iran has been forced to absorb three million Afghans evading the fighting in their country." A third report said, in part, that Mottaki said "Increase in terrorism because of the active support of the US and NATO of terrorist groups in the region as part of their policy to sow ethnic and religious discord, is proof of the fact that the undesirable presence of the occupation forces has intensified insecurity and violence. Today, insecurity is not just plaguing the Afghan people but is in fact directly mushrooming in neighbouring states, especially in Pakistan."

Dismissal as foreign minister

On 13 December 2010, Mottaki was dismissed as foreign minister by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, something that has been widely speculated as a power struggle within the conservative establishment. Mottaki said, "Dismissing a minister during a mission is un-Islamic, undiplomatic and offensive." Iran State Television reported that Ali Akbar Salehi will replace Mottaki in a caretaker position. Commenting on Mottaki's dismissal, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the U.S. relationship with Iran “is not toward any individual . . . it is toward the country, the government, which is complex and challenging to deal with.”

See also

Foreign relations of Iran

References

External links

Manouchehr Mottaki, "How Can Anybody Be Persian?" Le Monde, 25 October 2007

''Der Spiegel'' interview with Iran's Foreign Minister "We Warned the United States"

Category:Government ministers of Iran Category:University of Tehran alumni Category:Bangalore University alumni Category:People from Golestan Province Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:Islamic Society of Engineers politicians

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