December 22, 2000

North Korea more naughty than nice

As President Clinton ponders a pre-Christmas decision on whether to visit North Korea, he ought to bear in mind leaders of that militaristic communist nation have been much more naughty than nice this year. Their promises to stop building and distributing weapons of mass destruction haven't been followed up by action.

Clinton is considering a trip to meet North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il and probably will make a decision before Christmas, according to the White House. His decision will be based on whether he believes such a visit would be in this country's best interests, press secretary Jake Siewert said.

Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's trip to North Korea in October was billed as the preliminary to a visit by Clinton -- but the gesture did not appear to bear fruit. Though North Korean leaders have said they would consider cutting back on sales of missiles to other nations, including Iran and Pakistan, they did not agree in October to do so.

Albright's visit was a first step by the United States toward thawing relations with North Korea. The fact that Kim Jong Il has not yet reciprocated in any noticeable way means Clinton should not go to North Korea himself. Until and unless North Korea follows through on its pledges, no American president should visit Pyongyang.