Current US Foreign Policy Read the section on the White House webpage titled America First Foreign Policy (questions 3-5) Watch this clip of President Trump’s speech to the UN General Assembly on Sept. 19th, 2017 (questions 8-9) Foreign Relations with North Korea
Background (question 10) On June 25, 1950, North Korean forces invaded South Korea. Led by the United States, a United Nations coalition of 16 countries undertook the defense of South Korea. Following China's entry into the war on behalf of North Korea later that year, a stalemate ensued for the final two years of the conflict until an armistice was concluded on July 27, 1953. A peace treaty has never been signed. North and South Korea have had a difficult and, at times, bitter relationship since the Korean War. The two countries are separated by a demilitarized zone. North Korea has been ruled by successive generations of Kim Il Sung’s family, and its political and economic structure is centrally controlled. The current leader of North Korea is Kim Jong-Un. The United States believes that a constructive and serious dialogue between North and South Korea is necessary to improve inter-Korean relations and to resolve outstanding problems, including the North's attempts to develop a nuclear program and its human rights abuses. Stalemate: a position counting as a draw or a tie. Armistice: an agreement made by opposing sides in a war to stop fighting for a certain time; a truce. Demilitarized Zone: remove all military forces from an area. Human Rights Abuses (question 11) Under the rule of Kim Jong-Un, North Korea remains among the world’s most repressive countries. All basic freedoms have been severely restricted under the Kim family’s political dynasty. A 2014 UN Commission of Inquiry found that abuses in North Korea were without parallel in the contemporary world. They include extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions, and other sexual violence. North Korea operates secretive prison camps where perceived opponents of the government are sent to face torture and abuse, starvation rations, and forced labor. Fear of collective punishment is used to silence dissent. There is no independent media, functioning civil society, or religious freedom. Dissent: hold or express opinions that are at in conflict with those of the government and/or leader Independent Media: News or media sources not controlled by the government Nuclear (question 12) North Korea's interest in a nuclear weapons program dates to the end of World War II. There have been various attempts to agree disarmament deals, but none of this has ultimately deterred North Korea. In 2005, North Korea agreed to a landmark deal to give up its nuclear ambitions in return for economic aid and political concessions. In 2008, it destroyed the cooling tower at Yongbyon as part of the disarmament-for-aid deal. But implementing the deal proved difficult and talks stalled in 2009. The US never believed Pyongyang was fully disclosing all of its nuclear facilities - a suspicion bolstered when North Korea unveiled a uranium enrichment facility at Yongbyon. In March 2013, after a war of words with the US and with new UN sanctions over the North's third nuclear test, Pyongyang vowed to restart all facilities at Yongbyon. By 2015, normal operations there appeared to have resumed. The 2016 tests brought international condemnation, including from China - the North's main trading partner, and only ally. In 2017, the UN agreed a new sanctions package in response to the tests. In August, President Donald Trump threatened North Korea with "fire and fury" should the country not abandon its threats against the US.
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