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Asia Times - North Korea's case for nuclear weapons

North Korea's case for nuclear weapons By Erich Marquardt On October 21, 1994, the United States and North Korea signed the US-DPRK (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) Agreed Framework, an understanding in which Pyongyang accepted a proposal to scrap its development of plutonium-based nuclear-energy facilities in exchange for normalization of ties with Washington, in addition to other benefits such as internationally funded twin light-water reactors and shipments of heavy oil. As of now, the Agreed Framework is in tatters; Pyongyang blames the death of the agreement on Washington, and Washington blames it on Pyongyang.