THE NORTH KOREAN BALLISTIC MISSILE PROGRAM

During the late 1990s, the United States and
North Korea held several rounds of talks aimed at
ending the North Korean ballistic missile program,
but the talks were suspended with the change in U.S.
administrations in 2001. The United States and North
Korea are now engaged in Six-Party Talks that include
China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea aimed at ending
the North Korean nuclear weapons program. The talks
are also committed to discussing the establishment of
a regional multilateral security arrangement, which
could eventually address the North Korean ballistic
missile program. However, this effort will take considerable
time and will have to deal with a number
of complex security issues before Pyongyang will
abandon its ballistic missiles.