Tong Kim has finally made an unambiguous statement concerning Kang Seok-ju’s admission to James Kelly on 4 October 2002 that North Korea possessed a uranium enrichment program (h/t OneFreeKorea). This should – but probably won’t – prompt apologies to Kelly from the likes of McCormack, Beal, Harrison, Albright, and Cumings, who have implicitly insisted Kelly is a liar. From Kim’s article:

Skeptics of U.S. policy have raised questions with respect to the authenticity of U.S. information on the DPRK’s uranium enrichment program, and others are still questioning whether the DPRK had actually acknowledged the existence of its HEU program at the October 4, 2002 meeting in Pyongyang between former assistant secretary of state James Kelly and DPRK first vice foreign minister Kang Suk Ju, during which I served as the interpreter for the U.S. delegation.

In response to inquires from several news organizations, I have said that I believed then and still believe that the United States had irrefutable evidence to support the charges Mr. Kelly made concerning North Korea’s pursuit of a covert HEU program to develop nuclear weapons. I also said that after listening to Kang’s response at that meeting the U.S. delegation, including myself and two other members on the U.S. team who listened to Kang both in Korean and English interpretation provided by the North Korean side, concluded that Kang had acknowledged the U.S. charges laid out against the DPRK.

My conclusion was not based on a single particular phrase or sentence but on the totality of Kang’s statements, — including several revealing sentences of a blunt language and unreserved expressions, and their nuances, which all helped convince me of the foundation of his acknowledgment. (emphasis added)

I call this the most important item of the year for disrupting apologists because, at last, Tong Kim has made a direct and clear statement that Kang did indeed admit to North Korea having a uranium enrichment program. Doubt of the accuracy of the translation, and even the trustworthiness of Kelly, have been used by apologists as soon as North Korea began officially denying the admission.

While Tong Kim’s statement will not put off the most ardent apologists, it will do much to temper such criticisms in the political realm, which will be more important when North Korea reneges on the current deal.

On a side note, some folks that need to make corrections on this topic.