The U.S. and the Korean Peninsula - US Department of State

The U.S. and the Korean Peninsula

U.S. Agency, Coast Guard Help South Korea with Oil Spill Cleanup

A team of U.S. specialists is lending its expertise to the Republic of Korea after a crane barge collided with the motor tanker Hebei Spirit, releasing nearly 11.4 million liters of crude oil into the Yellow Sea 10 kilometers off the nation’s west coast. Although the spill happened December 7, 2007, the cleanup effort, which could take a year or more, is just beginning. The spill is the largest in the East Asian country’s history, affecting more than 160 kilometers of beaches, rocky shoreline and aquaculture sites bordering Taean County and points north, 150 kilometers southwest of Seoul. (complete text)

Promoting Human Rights in North Korea Requires Attention, Action

Advancing the human rights of the North Korean people will require the free nations of the world to continue taking an interest in promoting those rights, says Christian Whiton, the president’s deputy special envoy for human rights in North Korea. In an address to the Transatlantic Institute in Brussels, Belgium, Whiton catalogues abuses that often go unnoticed by the world due to North Korea’s isolation and asks countries to support relevant U.N. resolutions, provide assistance to North Korean refugees and support radio broadcasts of accurate information. (complete text)

U.S. Navy Still Battles Pirates on the High Seas

For the U.S. Navy, safeguarding critical sea lanes and reacting to conventional threats such as pirates or terrorists is all part of a day’s work as it carries out its broader maritime security strategy, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Todd Vician tells USINFO. The recent aid a U.S. Navy destroyer provided to a ship with a North Korean crew also could benefit diplomatic relations between the United States and North Korea. (complete text)

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