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North Korea

North Korea’s feared aim to create nuclear weapons and ballistic missiles was a serious problem for the Clinton Administration. In 1994, North Korea, a signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, refused to allow international inspectors to review two nuclear waste sites. The inspectors wanted to see if North Korea was in violation of the treaty since they were suspected of reprocessing spent fuel into plutonium, which could be used to manufacture nuclear weapons.^[46] Despite diplomatic pressure and repeated warnings by Clinton,^[47] North Korea refused to allow the inspections and even raised the prospect of war with South Korea, an ally of the United States.

After private diplomacy by former president Jimmy Carter, the Clinton administration reached a breakthrough with North Korea in October 1994 when North Korea agreed to shut down the nuclear plants that could produce materials for weapons if the United States would help North Korea build plants that generated electricity with light-water nuclear reactors. These reactors would be more efficient and their waste could not easily be used for nuclear weaponry.^[48] The United States also agreed to supply fuel oil for electricity until the new plants were built, and North Korea agreed to allow inspection of the old waste sites when construction began on the new plants.^[48] Unfortunately, North Korea never stopped their nuclear weapons development, as was revealed in February of 2005, when North Korea announced to the world they had a nuclear bomb.

Timeline, in case you forgot..

June 13, 1994. North Korea withdraws from IAEA.
June 15, 1994. U.S. circulates a draft resolution to the UN Security Council, calling
for sanctions against North Korea. Senior officials of the Clinton administration discuss
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plans to build up its military presence in South Korea by 50,000 additional troops as well
as preemptive military strikes on Yongbyon nuclear complex.
June 15-18, 1994. Former President Jimmy Carter visits North Korea and reaches a
tentative nuclear agreement with DPRK President, Kim Il-Sung. North Korea agrees to
freeze its nuclear activities in return for a U.S. pledge to resume high-level talks for a
package deal with North Korea.
July 1994. Kim Il-Sung, the North Korean leader, dies.
October 21, 1994. The U.S. and North Korea sign the “Agreed Framework” accord.
It provided an intricately linked series of steps that would eventually dismantle North
Korea’s nuclear weapons program in exchange for the provision of two light-water
reactors (LWR) by the target date of 2003 and normalization of relations between the
U.S. and North Korea. Under the accord, North Korea immediately froze its nuclear
program, ceasing its operation and construction of its nuclear facilities. In return, the U.S.
agreed to provide half million metric tons of heavy fuel oil annually until the completion
of the first LWR. Despite the fuel oil assistance, North Korea suffers an acute shortage of
electricity, leading to a shut down of 2/3 of its factories. Clinton officials delay
construction of the LWR because of the opposition of the Republican-dominated
Congress and their wishful expectation that North Korean government would collapse
within five years due to Kim Il-Sung’s death. Concrete for the foundation of first LWR
was poured only in August 2002. South Korea provided 80% of the funding for the
construction work.
March 9, 1995. KEDO is formed to build the LWRs at Kumho(Sinpo), North Korea
with the U.S., South Korea and Japan as the original members of the international
consortium.
1998. U.S. military conducts a simulation training exercise for a preemptive nuclear
attack on the DPRK in the U.S.
May 18-24, 1999. After suspicions raised by US intelligence agencies and media,
North Korea permits U.S. experts to inspect its cave complex inside the Mount
Kumchangri. Inspection showed an empty cave, not suitable for installing nuclear
facilities.
June 15, 2000. South Korean President Kim Dae-Jung holds a historic summit
meeting with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il in Pyongyang.
October 9-12, 2000. Vice Marshall Jo Myong-Rok visits Washington as a special
envoy of Chairman Kim Jong-Il.. He meets with President Clinton and other high-level
officials. At the end of his visit, a U.S.-DPRK Joint Communique is issued. It stated that
“the two sides agreed….to reduce tension on the Korean Peninsula and formally end the
Korean War by replacing the 1953 Armistice Agreement with permanent peace
arrangements.” It also proclaimed that “neither government would have hostile intent
toward the other and…to make every effort in the future to build a new relationship free
from past enmity,” and announced that Secretary of State Madeleine Albright to visit
DPRK to prepare for a possible visit by President Clinton. (underline added for emphasis)
October 24, 2000. Secretary of State Madeline Albright visits Pyongyang and meets
with the North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il. Kim pledges that North Korea would not
further test the long-range Taepo Dong-1 missile.