Positive step emerges from N. Korean intrigue

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The intrigue behind oddly timed release of information about the North Korean link to a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor may not be clarified soon — if ever.

But if the motivation was to thwart ongoing negotiations to convince North Korea to shut down its nuclear program, the plot seems to have failed.

Those negotiations seem to be progressing nicely, based on the announcement Friday that North Korea has agreed to blow up the cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear facility.

Photos and video of the tower’s destruction would be reassuring visual evidence that North Korea is following through on promises made earlier in the six-party negotiations that include China, the United States and other powers in the region.

When U.S. intelligence officials on April 24 unexpectedly revealed new information on the alleged Syrian nuclear reactor, including photos showing North Koreans inside the facility, there was speculation that hardliners in Congress and the administration were trying to provoke the North Koreans into a walkout.

The facility was destroyed by an Israeli air strike seven months ago. Little official information was released by any of the countries involved. Syria, in fact, claimed that Israeli weaponry had exploded harmlessly on farmland and a few unimportant buildings.

The revelations on the nature of the Syrian facility were frightening for several reasons. First, they indicate that Syria is imitating Iran’s tactics in developing a nuclear program. Second, they show the danger that North Korea nuclear expertise represents.

In a way, however, the revelations also show how important it is that negotiations with North Korea succeed.

Before North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il agreed to stop reprocessing nuclear fuel last year, intelligence officials estimated it had enough material to create six to eight nuclear weapons.

That was bad enough. But evidence that the North Koreans were willing to hand over their nuclear know-how to other dangerous regimes multiplies the worry of nuclear proliferation.

Under the agreement announced Friday, North Korea will destroy the cooling tower at the plant where it processed nuclear material within 24 hours of being removed from the U.S. list of state sponsors of terror.

Removal from the list would make North Korea eligible for various forms of international aid.

In addition to the pressure being applied by China, one reason for North Korea’s willingness to comply might be the soaring price of rice. South Korean news outlets have reported that famine, which is believed to have killed thousands of North Koreans a decade ago, is threatening to return.

In any event, continued progress on the negotiations is welcome. If North Korea truly — with ample verification — can be removed from the ranks of rogue nations, a sigh of relief will echo around the world.