A Legal Interpretation of North Korea’s Nuclear Program

This paper analyzes the North Korean nuclear situation in a legal framework while assessing potential policy options for the international community. The recent change in North Korean leadership leaves spectators in question as to the new dictator’s agenda and goals. Reviewing the history of the state’s nuclear program in regard to international treaty law is fruitful in gauging how, if at all, law limits the state’s behavior. The introduction briefly explores the history of the situation before advancing into the paper’s four sub-sections. The first sub-section assesses the requirements set out by the IAEA Statute and the NPT and North Korea’s status in regards to these agreements. Here, a number of violations are found and analyzed. The second section discusses North Korea’s controversial withdrawal from the NPT and analyzes the effect this act had on international law. The third section of this paper reviews the enforcement mechanisms outlined by the treaties’ text and the execution of these mechanisms. Finally, the conclusion answers remaining questions and provides recommendations for future international foreign policy action