The Koreas Wary Hands Across the DMZ

The cold war's last combatants sign a nonaggression pact -- but their pressing nuclear issue remains unresolved

North Korean Prime Minister Yon Hyong Muk sounded anything but upbeat as he described the mood of "gloom" after 15 months of fruitless discussions between Pyongyang and Seoul. But at the fifth round of talks last week, Yon's spirits took a sudden upturn when his South Korean host and counterpart, Chung Won Shik, dropped an unexpected secret: removal of the last American nuclear weapon on Korean soil was complete. That announcement, long sought by Pyongyang, broke the negotiating logjam. Twenty hours later, following an all- night session, the two sides announced agreement on a nonaggression accord that in effect ended their...

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