Hardliners Target/A New National Sense

The first article talks about how North Korea has agreed to dismantle it's nuclear program, however refuses to comply with the terms set by the international community. The country does not allow random testing to be done to conclude that the country has acquiesced to the demands made on them. Though recently, the Bush administration has opened up, critics say that they should continue on their path of isolationism because they doubt that NK will ever be truly honest about their nuclear intentions. Though North Korea claims that it had announced all the nuclear weapons it possessed, the U.S. is skeptical. The United States is also not sure about the connection that North Korea currently holds with Syria. Basically, this article outlines the skepticism that the United States holds on North Korea's actions and believes that the US needs to be more investigative before continuing to act hospitably towards the country.

The second article talks mostly about the South Korean-North Korean relationship with the United States since the election of the new president. The US has been pressuring South Korea to disclose its intentions on how it plans to interact with North Korea and what the policy towards the country will include. The US government is basically looking towards advancing its own agenda through South Korea. Because the US does not want its troops to leave South Korea, if the two countries (NK and SK) become more intertwined, the US may be worried that South Korea will no longer want US troops in the country to appease its Northern counterpart.