End Confrontational Policies Against North Korea. 
Conclude Peace Treaty in Korean Peninsula.


On the occasion of the 61st United Nations General Assembly, the Bush Administration is trying to restart the six party talks to focus on North Korea’s nuclear and missile issues, and to discuss implementation of the UN Security Council’s resolution on North Korea, through multi-party foreign ministers’ meeting without participation of China and Russia, and meeting among South Korea, Japan and the US. Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice alluded to a possibility of returning to pre-Geneva agreement status and hasbegun promoting pressure against North Korea by pushing for stricter sanctions like that undertaken by Japan and Australia. 

At the same time, US Secretary of Treasury Henry Paulson convened seven-nation finance ministers’ meeting in Singapore and raised concern on illegal financial activities by North Korea and Iran. He stated "execution of law against illegal activity cannot be negotiable" and "investigation on BDA (Banco Delta Asia) will continue and the US will begin additional sanctions per the UN resolution. 

We demand the US State and Treasury Departments to end using the United Nations as a medium for sanctions against North Korea. 

Demands by Secretary of State Rice for nations to freeze North Korea’s capital following last July’s UN resolution is a violation of the UN resolution as well as action that downplays sovereignty of each nation’s execution of the resolution. The UN resolution does not call for economic sanctions or use of force, rather it calls for cessation of movement and usage of capital and technology in regard to nuclear weapons and missiles, and does not call for abolition or cessation of regular trade or investments. Moreover, the resolution recommends "refrain from actions that may increase tensions" and "political, diplomatic efforts."

It follows that Rice’s demands misinterpret the UN resolution. Furthermore the decision to implement the UN resolution lies on each nation’s sovereignty, the Bush administration’s use of the UN general assembly as a medium to expand sanctions against North Korea is an action that downplays the role of the UN as well as action that ignores member nations and should stop immediately. We expect member nations of the UN to show that they are not merely following the US pressure but that they are genuine protector of international peace and security. 

Next, we demand that the US Treasury Department end sanction measure against North Korea and withdraw accusations of North Korea’s counterfeiting activities. 

Already, the Bush administration has reversed the Clinton administration’s policies on North Korea through the termination of the KEDO (Korea Energy Development Organization) and sanction measure against North Korea’s ships via modification of FACR (Foreign Area Capital Regulation). 

For many years, the US has grouped North Korea in categories of security threat to the US, supporting nation of international terrorism, communist nation, proliferatingnation of weapons of mass destruction and have enforced sanctions accordingly. Even during the Clinton administration, when there was loosening of confrontational policies, the US categorized North Korea in "E group" which received the most serious sanctions. Frozen North Korean assets within the US amounts to million (2003 figure). It is apparent that the Bush government’s forceful policies on North Korea is aimed at isolating North Korea and ultimately destroying it. 
The accusation of North Korea’s currency counterfeiting by the US Treasury Department, under direction of the State Department, is another measure to pressure North Korea. 
It has been a year since the US in effect destroyed the six-party talks by raising the counterfeiting accusation, but has not provideddefinitive evidence. Even in its own 2003 report called "Report on Currency Counterfeiting,"North Korea is not even mentioned. Treasury officials such as Stewart Levy and Robert Wagner have stated that the counterfeiting issue was raised as part of pressuring North Korea. This should end immediately.

We demand that the Bush administration end confrontational policies against North Korea and conclude peace treaty in Korean peninsula. 

The problem of North Korea’s nuclear and missile programs can find roots in the Bush administration’s break of agreement with North Korea and threatening of North Korea with a pre-emptive nuclear strike policy. 

Looking at a year between the joint statement of the six-party talks and the launching of missiles by North Korea, the US announced development of next-generation nuclear weapons (May 11), demanded South Korea to reduce aid to North Korea (May 12), released Pentagons’ Quarterly Defense Review (June 2) which includes contingency strategy against North Korea, conducted largest military exercise in the Pacific ("Courageous Shield") and deployed Eagis destroyer in the East Sea meant to counter against North Korea’s missile launchings, stages multi-national war game on invasion of North Korea (RIMPAC, June 6) –these military and economic pressures on North Korea forced North Korea into consideration of nuclear weapon and missiles as measures of self-defense. 

The Bush government’s Korea policy runs counter to efforts to bring peace and security in the Korean peninsula and have raised concerns among the Korean people, world’s peace advocates, and even within the US Congress. 

We welcome the demand by Congressman Jim Leach, the chairman of East Asia Pacific Subcommittee, to President Bush to move towards more aggressive negotiation with North Korea and the recent call for peace treaty as a breakthrough in North Korea’s nuclear issue. 

We demand the Bush administration to end confrontational policies toward North Korea that will only bring destruction of US-Noth Korea relations, leading to more stronger pressure measures against North Korea. We demand the Bush administration instead to continue on the success of the last year’s six party talks by moving towards formulating peace treaty in Korean peninsula. The formulation of peace treaty will bring a resolution of North Korea’s nuclear issue as well as historically transform US-South Korea relations based on division and war-readiness to an alliance of equal footing.


Sep 28, 2006
Solidarity for Peace and Reunification of Korea (SPARK)