{"id":7660,"date":"2023-12-28T21:20:27","date_gmt":"2023-12-28T20:20:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.northkoreainfo.com\/?p=7660"},"modified":"2023-12-28T21:20:27","modified_gmt":"2023-12-28T20:20:27","slug":"why-did-north-korea-withdraw-from-the-npt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.northkoreainfo.com\/why-did-north-korea-withdraw-from-the-npt\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Did North Korea Withdraw From The Npt"},"content":{"rendered":"
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North Korea’s withdrawal from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) in 2003 stirred up strong international protest. In October 2002, the United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to urge North Korea to observe full compliance of the Treaty. The NPT, initially signed in 1968, is an international agreement that seeks to reduce the global threat posed by nuclear weapons and encourages cooperation and development of nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.<\/p>\n

The decision to withdraw showed that North Korea was undaunted by international condemnation and did not fear the economic and political repercussions of the move. Knowing it faced almost certain sanctions, North Korea still made the calculated choice to drop out of the NPT in order to further its own interests.<\/p>\n

Much of Pyongyang’s decision to withdraw from the NPT stemmed from their increased paranoia following the Iraq War of 2003. North Korea was already deeply suspicious of the international community and U.S. foreign policy. The perceived double standards of the United States, which allowed Iraq to hold onto its own unconventional weapons and yet sought to prevent North Korea from having their own, vehemently antagonised North Korea.<\/p>\n

Domestically, North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il also saw strategic and tactical advantages in withdrawal from the NPT. He knew that indigenous nuclear capability put his regime in a stronger negotiating position with the United States. It also gave North Korea much needed leverage in other important negotiations such as economic aid, diplomatic recognition, and the utilization of its various resources.<\/p>\n