The United States imposed even severer financial and economic sanctions on North Korea after the fourth round of the six-party talks produced a joint statement that North Korea viewed as posing a grave threat to its survival. For Pyongyang, this was an unreasonable move. Given this "unfair" treatment, it assumed that the purpose of the United States was not as simple as demanding that North Korea give up its nuclear programs. As a result, it responded to the U.S. sanctions with a nuclear test. After that, the mistrust between the two countries peaked. Pyongyang suspected that Washington intended to topple North Korea's political regime, whereas Washington thought that Pyongyang wanted to possess nuclear weapons rather than to trade its nuclear programs for security and economic interests.

During the latest talks, North Korea agreed to take actions toward denuclearization. That's mainly because North Korea and the United States held meetings to address the financial sanctions in Berlin in mid-January and in Beijing at the end of January. Although what was discussed was kept confidential, it is obvious that the United States gave consideration to North Korea's legitimate interests at the meetings. However, as they failed to resolve the problem in their bilateral negotiations, North Korea was reluctant to make further commitments in the ensuing six-party talks.

Three major obstacles

The wrangling between Washington and Pyongyang on petty issues is evidence of their deep-rooted suspicion of each other. Actually, three major factors underlie the approaches they tend to adopt in the negotiations and at other times: their historical animosity, conflicting political strategies and respective concerns over security in the future.

North Korea and the United States have yet to put their war to a formal end and are still anxious to beat their enemy. The relationship between the United States and North Korea after the Cold War features a continuation of the war. The North Korean regime, in particular, is under the lingering threat of the United States. In this sense, North Korea's nuclear ambition is derived from the hostile relations between the two countries.

As a matter of fact, the United States first introduced nuclear weapons to the Korean Peninsula. Many of its policies toward North Korea, such as economic and financial sanctions, encouraging defectors and regular large-scale military exercises directed at North Korea, have caused a "sub-war." The persistent hostility complicates their problems, making it difficult for them to bid farewell to their confrontational history.

Apart from their historical enmity, the two countries are embroiled in political and strategic conflicts. One of the major components of the U.S. global strategy after the Cold War is to promote "democracy." After the September 11 terrorist attacks in 2001, the Bush administration sought to achieve its goal by military force with a preemptive strategy. Russian President Vladimir Putin recently directed criticisms at this trend, exposing the downside of the U.S. global political strategy. The United States has not only labeled North Korea part of an "axis of evil" and an "outpost of tyranny," but also sent tangible signals of a military threat.

North Korea failed to adjust its development strategies at the end of the Cold War because of the U.S. interference on the grounds of the nuclear issue and other hindrances. When it started to pursue economic reforms in the new century, the United States largely deprived the country of its opportunities. North Korea has no choice but to maneuver with the United States through various means. At home, it prepares for a possible military showdown with its "military-first" policy, which of course dictates the development of nuclear weapons. On the international stage, however, it tries to negotiate with parties concerned to resolve the crisis peacefully.