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American Morning
North Korea Nuclear Threat
Aired October 17, 2002 - 07:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: North Korea says it has an active, secret nuclear weapons program. The White House revealed that news last night, but it couldn't say, or wouldn't say, whether North Korea actually has any nuclear weapons.
The startling admission forces the Bush administration to face threats from both Iraq and Pyongyang. Urgent talks about the situation are going on among the U.S., Japan and South Korea.
Kelly Wallace standing by at the White House this morning; Rebecca MacKinnon in Tokyo.
Let's start with Rebecca first.
Good morning -- Rebecca.
REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN TOKYO BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Paula.
Well, South Korea and Japan are both reacting soberly to this latest news, but they're not yet giving up on diplomacy.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is calling on North Korea to live up to its prior international agreements. Now, that includes a 1994 agreement under which North Korea committed itself to scrap its nuclear weapons development program.
Now, clearly, it is now in violation of that 1994 commitment, and Japan itself is just a medium-range missile shot away from North Korea, putting a great deal of pressure on Japan's leaders to take a hard line towards North Korea.
Prime Minister Koizumi just made an unprecedented trip to North Korea just last month. He met with North Korean leader Kim Jung Il, and Kim signed a commitment, signed an agreement with Koizumi in which he said that North Korea would, indeed, live up to its prior agreements, and that North Korea would also allow in nuclear inspectors.
So, these latest revelations about North Korea's programs are certainly ratcheting up the tensions.
Again, in South Korea, South Korea also trying to take an optimistic note, still saying that diplomacy is the way to go. And a South Korean official today saying that it may actually be a good sign that North Korea has actually, for the first time, admitted openly to having a weapons development program -- a nuclear weapons development program, and that that might help to solve the problem -- Paula. ZAHN: Thanks, Rebecca.
We're going to turn now to Kelly Wallace, who is standing by at the White House with reaction from there.
So, Kelly, I guess the question I have for you straight off the bat: How is it that the administration has known about this for almost a couple of weeks now, and we're just finding out about it now?
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the administration was really discussing exactly how to deal with this. It is a stunning development.
Officials were quite shocked when Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly was in Pyongyang about two weeks ago, and he confronted the North Koreans, saying the U.S. knows that you all have a secret nuclear weapons program.
Well, much to the administration's surprise, the North Koreans turned around and said, you're right, we do.
So, clearly, this administration a bit surprised, trying to put together the right approach. It is clearly trying to resolve this through diplomacy. It is saying, of course, that North Korea is in violation of that 1994 agreement in which it agreed to wrap up and freeze its nuclear weapons program.
And Madeline Albright was the secretary of state during the Clinton administration. She traveled to North Korea. She is sending a message, saying this administration must carefully try to resolve this crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADELINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER SECY. OF STATE: This is a very serious development, and I think that it's very important for the administration to deal with it in a calm, deliberate way, and to deal with it through -- with the help of the South Koreans and the Japanese, as I understand that they are doing. And that there has to be a diplomatic way to continue to deal with this, but recognizing that this is a very serious issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: But of course, Paula, this is a stunning development. And now this administration confronting a nuclear crisis in Asia, just as it considers possible military action in Iraq, in part, to prevent Saddam Hussein from one day having a nuclear weapon -- Paula.
ZAHN: So, what impact does this have on any timeline that is being considered at this point?
WALLACE: A timeline for Iraq?
ZAHN: Yes. WALLACE: That's the key question. It remains to be seen. As you know, a number of lawmakers in the Congress, even some U.S. allies, have raised the question, saying why is the administration taking one approach, possible military action with Iraq, when it's taking a different approach with the other so-called axis of evil countries, such as North Korea and Iran?
The administration's answer to that is it believes Saddam Hussein is a unique threat, that he has invaded other countries, that he has gassed his own people. But also what is not said, of course, is North Korea has a million-man army. Any military action would really have destabilizing consequences for Seoul and for the rest of South Korea -- Paula.
ZAHN: Very quickly in closing, Kelly, what do you think of the point of view that's surfaced in a lot of editorial pages this morning that suggests that perhaps this admission is a sign that the North Koreans really do want to have a dialogue on this?
WALLACE: That's what a lot of people certainly think, because again, much to the administration's surprise, North Korea admitting this. So, it could be a way to say two things.
No. 1, that it's standing up to the United States. The United States calling it part of an axis of evil. It has troops deployed along the border with North Korea. It's saying, well, of course, we have a nuclear weapons program.
But it's also possibly a way for some leverage, to say we need economic aid, we want better relations, we want to come clean here and move forward with the United States and the rest of the Western world.
ZAHN: Kelly Wallace, thanks so much. Appreciate the update.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
Aired October 17, 2002 - 07:16 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: North Korea says it has an active, secret nuclear weapons program. The White House revealed that news last night, but it couldn't say, or wouldn't say, whether North Korea actually has any nuclear weapons.
The startling admission forces the Bush administration to face threats from both Iraq and Pyongyang. Urgent talks about the situation are going on among the U.S., Japan and South Korea.
Kelly Wallace standing by at the White House this morning; Rebecca MacKinnon in Tokyo.
Let's start with Rebecca first.
Good morning -- Rebecca.
REBECCA MACKINNON, CNN TOKYO BUREAU CHIEF: Good morning, Paula.
Well, South Korea and Japan are both reacting soberly to this latest news, but they're not yet giving up on diplomacy.
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi is calling on North Korea to live up to its prior international agreements. Now, that includes a 1994 agreement under which North Korea committed itself to scrap its nuclear weapons development program.
Now, clearly, it is now in violation of that 1994 commitment, and Japan itself is just a medium-range missile shot away from North Korea, putting a great deal of pressure on Japan's leaders to take a hard line towards North Korea.
Prime Minister Koizumi just made an unprecedented trip to North Korea just last month. He met with North Korean leader Kim Jung Il, and Kim signed a commitment, signed an agreement with Koizumi in which he said that North Korea would, indeed, live up to its prior agreements, and that North Korea would also allow in nuclear inspectors.
So, these latest revelations about North Korea's programs are certainly ratcheting up the tensions.
Again, in South Korea, South Korea also trying to take an optimistic note, still saying that diplomacy is the way to go. And a South Korean official today saying that it may actually be a good sign that North Korea has actually, for the first time, admitted openly to having a weapons development program -- a nuclear weapons development program, and that that might help to solve the problem -- Paula. ZAHN: Thanks, Rebecca.
We're going to turn now to Kelly Wallace, who is standing by at the White House with reaction from there.
So, Kelly, I guess the question I have for you straight off the bat: How is it that the administration has known about this for almost a couple of weeks now, and we're just finding out about it now?
KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, the administration was really discussing exactly how to deal with this. It is a stunning development.
Officials were quite shocked when Assistant Secretary of State James Kelly was in Pyongyang about two weeks ago, and he confronted the North Koreans, saying the U.S. knows that you all have a secret nuclear weapons program.
Well, much to the administration's surprise, the North Koreans turned around and said, you're right, we do.
So, clearly, this administration a bit surprised, trying to put together the right approach. It is clearly trying to resolve this through diplomacy. It is saying, of course, that North Korea is in violation of that 1994 agreement in which it agreed to wrap up and freeze its nuclear weapons program.
And Madeline Albright was the secretary of state during the Clinton administration. She traveled to North Korea. She is sending a message, saying this administration must carefully try to resolve this crisis.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MADELINE ALBRIGHT, FORMER SECY. OF STATE: This is a very serious development, and I think that it's very important for the administration to deal with it in a calm, deliberate way, and to deal with it through -- with the help of the South Koreans and the Japanese, as I understand that they are doing. And that there has to be a diplomatic way to continue to deal with this, but recognizing that this is a very serious issue.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: But of course, Paula, this is a stunning development. And now this administration confronting a nuclear crisis in Asia, just as it considers possible military action in Iraq, in part, to prevent Saddam Hussein from one day having a nuclear weapon -- Paula.
ZAHN: So, what impact does this have on any timeline that is being considered at this point?
WALLACE: A timeline for Iraq?
ZAHN: Yes. WALLACE: That's the key question. It remains to be seen. As you know, a number of lawmakers in the Congress, even some U.S. allies, have raised the question, saying why is the administration taking one approach, possible military action with Iraq, when it's taking a different approach with the other so-called axis of evil countries, such as North Korea and Iran?
The administration's answer to that is it believes Saddam Hussein is a unique threat, that he has invaded other countries, that he has gassed his own people. But also what is not said, of course, is North Korea has a million-man army. Any military action would really have destabilizing consequences for Seoul and for the rest of South Korea -- Paula.
ZAHN: Very quickly in closing, Kelly, what do you think of the point of view that's surfaced in a lot of editorial pages this morning that suggests that perhaps this admission is a sign that the North Koreans really do want to have a dialogue on this?
WALLACE: That's what a lot of people certainly think, because again, much to the administration's surprise, North Korea admitting this. So, it could be a way to say two things.
No. 1, that it's standing up to the United States. The United States calling it part of an axis of evil. It has troops deployed along the border with North Korea. It's saying, well, of course, we have a nuclear weapons program.
But it's also possibly a way for some leverage, to say we need economic aid, we want better relations, we want to come clean here and move forward with the United States and the rest of the Western world.
ZAHN: Kelly Wallace, thanks so much. Appreciate the update.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.
