Beijing
The North Koreans returned to six-nation talks this week and promptly issued some of the toughest demands they’ve ever made. North Korea walked out of the Beijing talks last year, after the U.S. imposed financial sanctions to punish Pyongyang for engaging in smuggling and counterfeiting. Then, two months ago, North Korea tested a nuclear weapon, prompting U.N. sanctions. Now, North Korean negotiator Kim Kye-gwan says his country wants all sanctions lifted before it considers halting its nuclear programs, and that giving up nukes altogether is out of the question. U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill found the opening gambit discouraging. “They certainly have a capacity for giving long speeches,” he said, “more than I have for giving them or for listening to them.”
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
What should you be stockpiling for 'World War Three'?In the Spotlight Britons advised to prepare after the EU tells its citizens to have an emergency kit just in case
-
Carnivore diet: why people are eating only meatThe Explainer 'Meatfluencers' are taking social media by storm but experts warn meat-only diets have health consequences
-
Scientists want to fight malaria by poisoning mosquitoes with human bloodUnder the radar Drugging the bugs
