South Korea ships oil to North Korea in nuke-shutdown deal
South Korea will ship oil to North Korea next week as part of a six-nation agreement reached in February that trades energy aid for a shutdown of the North’s main nuclear facility. Funny story, though: North Korea hasn’t shut down the reactor. But it totally will! It promises! In talks on Tuesday, North Korean leader Kim Jong-il said that “all the parties should implement the initial actions” of the agreement. But then he asked for 5,500 to 11,000 tons of the promised 55,000 tons of oil in advance. “Good faith is going to be met in turn by good faith,” said Sean McCormack of the U.S. State Department. Japan, on the other hand? Not feeling the faith. “While North Korea demands to be given aid beforehand, the proper way is to carry [the pledges] out simultaneously,” said Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki. “We cannot allow one to come before the other unless it is clear that the activities at the Yongbyon facility have been suspended and sealed for certain.” What, they don’t trust Kim?
