North Korea’s Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty Status

Christine Kucia

Although North Korea announced its withdrawal from the nuclear
Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) on January 10, Pyongyang’s status within
the regime has yet to be formally determined.

Some states have argued that because North Korea did not cite or explain
what “extraordinary events” led to its January 10 announcement, as
required by the treaty, its withdrawal is invalid. A requisite
three-month waiting period ended without comment on April 10, and a
meeting of the remaining 188 NPT member states in late April did not
confront the issue directly. (See ACT, June 2003.) The treaty’s
depositories—Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States—have not
arrived at a decision about how to address North Korea’s withdrawal,
prolonging the holdup of a formal announcement of North Korea’s treaty
status.

Sources indicated that the depository governments are unwilling to
expend bureaucratic time and energy on the question. One Western
diplomat stressed, “It’s important to focus on what the North Koreans
are actually doing” and leave the question of its NPT status aside for
the moment. According to another source close to the issue, if the
biggest problem—getting Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons
ambition—is solved, North Korea could again be compliant with NPT
standards, thus rendering the question of withdrawal moot.