The 1993 Nuclear CrisisThe nuclear issue in North Korea has its roots in the 1980s. Initial concerns arose in the mid-1980s, when intelligence reports suggested the potential of North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Reports cite the construction of a nuclear reactor capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium. The reactor in question, located in Yongbyon, was at the center of the first North Korean nuclear crisis in 1993. The Clinton administration proceeded with diplomatic efforts, making an agreement by 1994 that effectively ended the crisis. Under the Agreed Framework, North Korea agreed to: (1) stop the operation and construction of nuclear reactors, (2) freeze the reprocessing of spent fuel (from which plutonium can be derived to make nuclear weapons ) and (3) allow IAEA inspectors to monitor nuclear facilities. In exchange, the United States agreed to: (1) lead an international consortium in building two proliferation-resistant light water reactors (LWRs), and (2) supply fuel oil until the first reactor is deemed operational. In BriefThe current crisis officially began in October 2002, when a visiting U.S. delegation, led by Under Secretary of State James Kelly, confronted North Korean officials with evidence of a nuclear weapons program (using enriched uranium, as opposed to to the plutonium used in its first weapons). plan). Pyongyang has admitted the program's existence, saying: “We will meet sword with sword. ? The United States, South Korea and Japan subsequently halted all fuel oil shipments to North Korea in November on grounds that the once-secret nuclear program violated the Agreed Framework. In December, North Korea announced the reactivation of its core......middle of paper......?we won't attack you? if all nuclear ambitions are abandoned. The administration should also maintain its proposal to agree on a system in which ?corresponding measures? are undertaken by both sides to resolve the crisis. It will be imperative to develop verifiable means of dismantling Pyongyang's weapons program. Furthermore, the focus of future dialogues should be on the issue of nuclear decommissioning, moving away from the topic as sparingly as possible. As President Bush and other administration officials have reminded the international community, and North Korea in particular, ultimately “all options are open.” However, given the current state of the dialogue and the continued willingness of countries in the region to proceed with diplomatic efforts, the option of military action is effectively off the table for the United States for the time being..