The Agreed Framework, the first nuclear accord between the United States and North Korea that promised a peace treaty and economic cooperation in exchange for freezing North Korea’s nuclear weapons program, nearly collapsed due to the death of Kim Il Sung, as revealed by recently declassified diplomatic documents of South Korea.
This information was uncovered in over 380,000 pages of declassified diplomatic documents released by the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday. The Ministry routinely declassifies and publishes diplomatic records that are over 30 years old.
On July 8, 1994, U.S. Ambassador Robert Gallucci, the chief negotiator for North Korean nuclear affairs, met with Kang Sok Ju, North Korea’s First Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, in Geneva, Switzerland. They agreed to hold three-phase high-level talks to improve relations and address the nuclear issue.
At the time, North Korea demanded specific U.S. guarantees based on their 1993 joint statement, which confirmed the goal of denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and fully resolving the nuclear issue. These demands included swiftly introducing light-water reactors to replace graphite-moderated reactors, legal and practical assurances against the use of force (including nuclear weapons), institutionalizing principles for the cessation of hostilities, and concrete U.S. commitments to ensure fair application of safety measures.
This meeting garnered significant attention, just one year after North Korea announced its withdrawal from the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1993. North Korea joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 1985. Still, it declared its withdrawal from the NPT in 1993 due to friction with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which demanded inspections of its nuclear facilities.
However, the highly anticipated U.S.-North Korea high-level talks hit a major snag on the very first day due to the unexpected death of Kim Il Sung. When the North Korean delegation suddenly suspended the talks, President Bill Clinton intervened, expressing condolences and hoping for a swift resumption of discussions.
Gallucci also attempted to contact the North Korean delegation, conveying his willingness to remain in Geneva indefinitely while awaiting further developments.
It wasn’t until July 11, three days after Kim’s death, that the two sides finally commenced the first meeting of the three-phase high-level talks. During this session, the U.S. called for North Korea’s full return to the NPT regime, complete acceptance of IAEA nuclear inspections, and a joint declaration on denuclearization. North Korea, in turn, presented conditions including normalizing U.S.-North Korea relations, support for light-water reactors, and U.S. assurances against using nuclear weapons on North Korea.
It’s worth noting that some portions of the recently released documents remain classified. Consequently, the exact nature of behind-the-scenes communications between the U.S. and North Korea in the period between Kim’s death and the first meeting remains unclear.
Despite the initial setbacks, the resumed high-level talks ultimately proved successful, culminating in the Agreed Framework, in which the two sides committed to normalizing political and economic relations and gradually resolving the nuclear issue.
