The North Korean nuclear standoff has escalated since North Korea let slip that it was developing nuclear weapons while James Kelly, U.S. Assistant Secretary of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, was visiting Pyongyang in October 2002. The Bush administration has acknowledged that the United States will not discount a preemptive military strike on the suspected nuclear development facilities, and North Korea has stood firm against any pressure to halt its nuclear development from the international community. Dialogue and meetings for international cooperation among the major countries concerned, including Korea, the U.S., Japan and China, have been activated to resolve the nuclear crisis in the Korean Peninsula, especially after the U.S. pronounced an end to its war against Iraq in early May of this year. In the middle of the rapidly changing situation on the Korean peninsula, the inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation initiated by the 'Sunshine Policy' of the Kim Dae Jung administration and followed by the Roh Moo-hyun administration's 'Policy of Peace and Prosperity' are not separable from the nuclear situation. This paper follows recent developments of inter-Korean relations, illustrates South Korea's stance on the issue and suggests the EU's role on the nuclear issue.
展开▼
