One of our main activities is organising and hosting Luncheon Briefings on pertinent topics of EU-Asia relations. Beginning with an informal lunch, the Briefings usually last for 1.5 hours, including questions.

Attendees include EIAS members and other interested parties.

Experts wishing to discuss a possible topic for a Luncheon Briefing are invited to contact EIAS Director Dr Willem van der Geest.

The Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organisation and North Korea"
European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS)
Rue des Deux Eglises 35, B-1000 Brussels
(Metro: Arts-Loi/Kunst-Wet)

EIAS Luncheon Briefing, 2, April 2004

Ambassador Charles Kartman, Executive Director of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO), presented a stimulating insider’s account on the current state and the future of KEDO.

KEDO was established by the U.S., Japan and South Korea in 1995 to replace North Korea’s nuclear facilities with safe more proliferation-resistant light-water reactors, under the supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The EU joined KEDO  as a member of the Executive Board alongside the three founding members in 1997.

KEDO, however, was forced to review its activities in North Korea late 2002 after it was revealed that North Korea is maintaining a clandestine nuclear weapons programme.

North Korea’s alleged nuclear weapons programme was considered to be a serious breach of Pyongyang’s international non-proliferation commitments and the 1994 Agreed Framework, a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and North Korea.   

In November 2002, the KEDO Executive Board Meeting decided to suspend heavy fuel oil deliveries as from December 2002 until North Korea takes concrete and credible action to dismantle completely its highly enriched uranium programme. North Korea’s non-compliance with the Agreed Framework, Ambassador Kartman pointed out, led to KEDO’ s “quiet suspension.”

Although KEDO is currently suspended, Kartman pointed out, the project’s activities must not be referred to as “terminated” just yet. However, he indicated, it remains unclear whether KEDO will continue the construction of the light-water reactors any time soon.

Ambassador Kartman who is recognized for his expertise on Northeast Asia, having earlier specialized on Japanese affairs, working as a political officer in the Embassy in Tokyo, Consul General in Sapporo, and twice in the office of Japanese Affairs at the Department of State, complemented his presentation with a detailed analysis of U.S.-North Korea relations throughout the 1990s.

Kartman’s interesting insight into U.S. policy towards North Korea over the last decade not only helped to understand the causes of the current nuclear crisis on the Korea Peninsula, but also provided the audience with a sense of KEDO’s value in helping to defuse the crisis. 

The outcome of the so-called six-party talks (a multilateral forum with the participation of  U.S., Japan, South Korea, China, Russia and North Korea) dealing with the current crisis on the Korean Peninsula, Kartman pointed out, is likely to have an impact on the future of KEDO. However, he cautioned, it is still too early to assess whether the results of multilateral negotiations with North Korea will support the resumption of KEDO’s activities.  

Only the complete and verifiable dismantlement of North Korea’s nuclear weapons programme, Kartman indicated, will enable KEDO to restart heavy fuel deliveries and construction of the light-water reactors.  

Ambassador Kartman’s presentation was followed by a Q&A session during which he took questions from the audience.

The meeting was chaired by EIAS Director Dr. Willem van der Geest while Dr. Axel Berkofsky Research Fellow at EIAS acted as discussant. 

A detailed summary of Ambassador Kartman’s  presentation and a summary of the Q&A session will appear in the EurAsia Bulletin, published by the European Institute for Asian Studies (EIAS).

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