| North Korea – Kim’s Hide-n-Seek |
A step towards denuclearisation! After years of nuclear tussle with the international community, North Korea finally came to an agreement at the six-party talks to start nuclear disablement in exchange for removal of its name from the US list of state sponsors of terrorism. The ‘rogue’ nation handed over to China a list of its nuclear facilities along with information on the amount of reprocessed plutonium in its possession. On June 27, Pyongyang further destroyed a cooling tower at its main reactor.
However, in August, an angry North Korea said that it would stop nuclear disablement due to a delay on the part of the US to remove its name from the list. Responding to the wrath, the US removed the name after North Korea agreed to give international inspectors access to its nuclear plant at Yongbyon.
But as the year neared end, deadlock resumed with North Korea threatening to slow down disablement amid Washington’s move to suspend energy aid to the reclusive state due to stalled talks on verifying the latter’s nuclear operations.
North Korea also kept the world busy this year with developments surrounding the health of its leader, Kim Jong-Il. Every time there was speculation at the international level that the long-time dictator was seriously ill, either he used to appear in public or his ‘latest’ pictures and videos released in the state media.
There were also reports of him suffering a stroke and then undergoing a brain surgery, giving birth to questions as to who was in control of Asia`s only Communist dynasty and making decisions about its nuclear arms program. Speculation about Kim`s health had intensified after he missed a parade commemorating the Communist state`s founding 60 years ago. In response, Pyongyang released pictures of Kim visiting many places such as Army units and a ceramics factory.
A veteran Japanese expert even went on to claim this year that Kim died of diabetes in 2003 and world leaders have been negotiating with a double! According to him, Kim, fearing assassination, had groomed up to four lookalikes to act as his substitutes at public events. But with the North being a reclusive state, there’s little to authenticate Professor Toshimitsu Shigemura’s claims.
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