David Straub suggests a difficult road ahead for North Korean nuclear negotiations

North Korea's revelation last year that it has constructed a full-scale, modern uranium enrichment facility has fundamentally changed the diplomatic situation regarding its nuclear weapons program, suggested David Straub, associate director of the Stanford Korean Studies Program, in a Radio Free Asia interview on February 8. According to Straub, North Korea has made negotiating an end to its nuclear weapons program practically unachievable. After years of denying even any interest in uranium enrichment, North Korea has lost what little credibility its statements had. Furthermore, argued Straub, by secretly building the facility in Yongbyon -- the one location that outsiders watch most closely -- North Korea itself has proven there is no way that outsiders could verify a nuclear agreement.