Briefing | The North Korean nuclear deal

Faces saved all round

An agreement is reached, but the Korean peninsula remains nuclear

Feb 15th 2007|beijing, tokyo and washington, dc

THE six men in dark suits proclaimed it a victory, happily shaking hands. Back in Washington, George Bush merely said he was “pleased”. He cannot be blamed for his guarded enthusiasm. The agreement, reached in Beijing on February 13th, declared that North Korea would close its nuclear plants within 60 days in return for aid and other inducements. If it holds, it may help to reduce tensions on the Korean peninsula in the wake of the North's nuclear test last October. But a nuclear-free North Korea remains an elusive goal.

This article appeared in the Briefing section of the print edition under the headline “Faces saved all round”