2008 News of the World - North Korea

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North Korea Continues Roller Coaster Diplomacy

North Korea maintained its unpredictable course in 2008. The country raised hopes that it was on the path toward denuclearization when it allowed international inspectors into its nuclear facilities and turned over thousands of pages of documents detailing its efforts to reprocess plutonium for nuclear weapons. Months later, however, any progress seemed to have ground to a halt as North Korea rescinded the offer to inspectors and said it would restart its plutonium reprocessing plant at Yongbyon. The miasma was further complicated by reports that President Kim Jong-Il had suffered a stroke, leaving many to question who was calling the shots in the famously secretive country.

For more information about North Korea and nuclear weapons:

• Profile of North Korea
• Countries with Nuclear Weapons Capability