Perhaps we can convince Kim to commit to Six Party Talks if we make Shaq the US spokesman. “The Oddest Fan”

My latest Seattle Times op-ed is online. Not exactly about North Korea, but fellow metro-D.C. residents and workers might appreciate some parts.
On Seattle:
When I lived in Seattle, one of the city’s facets to which I quickly grew accustomed was the integration of Asian Americans into the city’s mainstream life. This was not surprising, of course. [...]

An article in the New York Times indicates China may have punished North Korea by withholding oil, while another in the Washington Times suggests that China has helped North Korea with its nuclear programs. Both may be overblown.
According to figures released by China’s customs administration, no crude oil was shipped to North Korea for the [...]

The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced today that North Korea will return to the Six-Party Talks. The agreement was reached during an informal meeting in Beijing between the U.S., China, and North Korea.
However, I find this to be the problem area: “The three parties agreed to resume the six-party talks at the earliest convenient time.” (emphasis [...]

Crisis on the Korean Peninsula: How to Deal with a Nuclear North Korea. Michael O’Hanlon and Mike Mochizuki. McGraw-Hill, 2003
In Crisis on the Korean Peninsula, O’Hanlon and Mochizuki layout a “grand deal” designed to diffuse not just the nuclear issue, but also the possibility of a conventional military confrontation and address human rights in North [...]

Unlike many issues in these sharply polarized times, legislation dealing with North Korea draws unanimous support from politicians on both sides of the aisle (with one exception, noted below). Here are three legislators, however, whose efforts on North Korea stand out:
- Ed Royce, (Republican, 40th Congressional District, California): Rep. Royce sponsored the [...]

AP: U.S. official: More nuke tests by North Korea expected
Yonhap: US report: NK may have been selling missiles as recently as 2003-2004
Chosun Ilbo: N.Korea in Intense Military Exercises
Dong-a Ilbo: North Ships Ignore Coast Guard Hails
Bloomberg: Bush May Open Talks With NK, Former U.S. Official Says
Kyodo: Japan, US, SKorea against 6-way talks with [...]

We’ll have a chance to gauge how North Korea might react to future inspections. From Yonhap: The U.S. “is ready to inspect a North Korean vessel if it is found to be carrying sensitive equipment banned by the latest U.N. sanctions on the communist country. . .”

Timeline of events leading to N. Korea nuclear test, courtesy of The Onion: 1996: Kim Jong-Il decides individual murders take too long

Asia Times: Seoul dodges the dragon but feels the heat (Don Kirk)
Chosun Ilbo: S.Korea Won’t Stop and Search N.Korean Ships
Yonhap: US urges Seoul to join PSI, view inter-Korean projects differently
AFP: US ready to meet NK — if it returns to six-way talks
AFP: Japan lawmaker continues calls for nuclear debate
Yonhap: N. Korea building new structure on [...]