Congressional Research Service Reports - 117 Matching Results
Search Results
- North Korea's Nuclear and Ballistic Missile Programs
- This report discusses the rapid advancements North Korea has made in its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs since 2012. Despite the absence of any missile launch activity or nuclear tests in 2018 to date, previous tests and official North Korean statements suggest that North Korea is striving to build a credible regional nuclear warfighting capability that might evade regional ballistic missile defenses. Such an approach likely reinforces their deterrent and coercive diplomacy strategy--lending more credibility as it demonstrates capability--but it also raises serious questions about crisis stability and escalation control. Congress may further examine these advances' possible effects on U.S. policy.
- North Korea: U.S. Relations, Nuclear Diplomacy, and Internal Situation
- This report discusses the relationship between the United States and North Korea. The report focuses on North Korea's nuclear weapons program, their military and illicit activities, and international and U.S. sanctions against them.
- North Korea: Legislative Basis for U.S. Economic Sanctions
- This report discusses the economic sanctions the United States imposes on North Korea for activities related to weapons proliferation, destabilizing the region, anti-terrorism, and undemocratic governance.
- The June 12 Trump-Kim Jong-un Summit
- This report covers the June 12, 2018 meeting between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un. During the meeting the two discussed North Korea's nuclear program, building a peace regime on the Korean Peninsula, and the future of U.S. relations with North Korea.
- A Peace Treaty with North Korea?
- This report discusses the recent comments and upcoming summits between North Korea, South Korea, and the United States regarding denuclearization and negotiating a formal peace treaty to officially end the Korean War. A brief overview of past attempts to negotiate a peace treaty between the parties in the Korean War is provided and current priorities for a peace treaty are provided.
- CRS Products and Experts on North Korea
- This report provides a listing of CRS reports covering various aspects of North Korean policy and U.S. policy toward North Korea.
- Nuclear Negotiations with North Korea: In Brief
- This report summarizes past nuclear and missile negotiations between the United States and North Korea, also known by its formal name, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), and highlights some of the lessons and implications that can be drawn from these efforts.
- CRS Products on North Korea
- This report provides a listing of CRS reports related to North Korea, organized by broad topical categories. It also includes contact information for CRS experts on various aspects of North Korea.
- Possible U.S. Policy Approaches to North Korea
- This report describes President Trump's current policy toward North Korea and possible options for future U.S. policy. Options include diplomatic engagement, international and U.S. sanction increases, military strikes, destabilization of the North Korean government through intelligence activities and popular resentment, enhanced military cooperation with allies, and additional funding for preventing arms trading and related trade with North Korea.
- The North Korean Nuclear Challenge: Military Options and Issues for Congress
- This report discusses the North Korean nuclear threat and possible military options the U.S. could use to reduce or eliminate the threat. The report begins with a brief overview of the situation, nuclear capabilities of North Korea, and effects military action would have on the region and its stability. Seven military related options are discussed along with possible issues of interest to Congress.
- Redeploying U.S. Nuclear Weapons to South Korea: Background and Implications in Brief
- This report provides background information on the deployment of nuclear weapon systems in South Korea in the past, explores the options that might be available for the redeployment of nuclear weapons to South Korea now to deter the North Korean threat, and discusses the potential implications of doing so for South Korea, North Korea, Japan, and the U.S.
- China's February 2017 Suspension of North Korean Coal Imports
- This report discusses China's suspension of coal trade with North Korea for the remainder of 2017 which keeps China in compliance with an UN agreement to limit coal buying from North Korea that was implemented in November 2016 in response to continued nuclear tests by North Korea. Coal's value as an export to North Korea, China's trade with North Korea, quantities of coal and its value that was imported into China in 2016 and 2017, and possible reasons and implications for China's decision are discussed.
- North Korea's Foreign Policy: The Meaning of the Pueblo and EC- 121 Incidents, 1969
- This report is about the north korean policy
- North Korean Cyber Capabilities: In Brief
- This report discusses how as North Korea has accelerated its missile and nuclear programs in spite of international sanctions, Congress and the Trump Administration have elevated North Korea to a top U.S. foreign policy priority. Legislation such as the North Korea Sanctions and Policy Enhancement Act of 2016 (P.L. 114-122) and international sanctions imposed by the United Nations Security Council have focused on North Korea's WMD and ballistic missile programs and human rights abuses. North Korea's cyberattacks have the potential not only to disrupt international commerce, but to direct resources to its clandestine weapons and delivery system programs, potentially enhancing its ability to evade international sanctions. This report will provide a brief summary of what unclassified open-source reporting has revealed about the secretive program, introduce four case studies in which North Korean operators are suspected of having perpetrated malicious operations, and provide an overview of the international finance messaging service that these hackers may be exploiting.
- Why Did March 2016 U.N. Sanctions Not Curb China's Imports of Coal from North Korea?
- This report discusses sanctions on North Korea in response to the country's fourth nuclear test and China's imports of coal from North Korea.
- Why Did March 2016 U.N. Sanctions Not Curb China's Imports of Coal from North Korea?
- This report discusses the Resolution 2270 adopted by United Nations Security Council (UNSCR 2270), imposing new sanctions on North Korea in response to the country's fourth nuclear test.
- Iran-North Korea-Syria Ballistic Missile and Nuclear Cooperation
- This report describes the key elements of a nuclear weapons program; explains the available information regarding cooperation among Iran, North Korea, and Syria on ballistic missiles and nuclear technology; and discusses some specific issues for Congress.
- North Korea's January 6, 2016, Nuclear Test
- This report provides a brief background about North Korea's announcement that it successfully tested a "hydrogen bomb" (its fourth nuclear test) on January 6, 2016. The official statement also called the device an experimental or "pilot H-bomb."
- Legislative Actions to Repeal, Defund, or Delay the Affordable Care Act
- This report covers the overall relationship between the U.S. and North Korea, with an emphasis on nuclear diplomacy.
- Iran-North Korea-Syria Ballistic Missile and Nuclear Cooperation
- This report describes the key elements of a nuclear weapons program; explains the available information regarding cooperation among Iran, North Korea, and Syria on ballistic missiles and nuclear technology; and discusses some specific issues for Congress.
- The Shutdown of the Joint North/South Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex
- This report briefly discusses the South Korean government's decision to shut down the Kaesong Industrial Complex (KIC), which is an 11-year-old industrial park located in North Korea just across the demilitarized zone where more than 120 South Korean manufacturers employed over 50,000 North Korean workers.
- North Korea: U.S. Relations, Nuclear Diplomacy, and Internal Situation
- This report provides background information on the negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons program that began in the early 1990s under the Clinton Administration. As US policy toward Pyongyang evolved through the George W. Bush presidency and into the Obama Administration, the negotiations moved from mostly bilateral to the multilateral Six-Party Talks. Although the negotiations have reached some key agreements, major problems with the implementation have persisted. With talks suspended since 2009, concern about proliferation to other actors has grown.
- North Korean Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States
- This report updates recent information concerning, specifically, North Korea’s long-range ballistic missile program. On July 4-5, 2006, North Korea test-launched seven ballistic missiles, including a new Taepo Dong 2 that failed soon after launch. Apparently successful shorter-range missile tests included some combination of SCUDs and No Dongs. More recently, North Korea conducted an underground nuclear test and said it would deploy nuclear weapons on their ballistic missiles, although there is no evidence they are doing so.
- North Korean Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States
- This report updates earlier information concerning North Korea's ballistic missile development and that country's technological missile-launch capabilities.
- Assistance to North Korea
- This report summarizes the U.S. assistance to North Korea.
- North Korean Actions, 1950 - 2007: Controversy and Issues
- This report provides information on reported instances of North Korean provocations against South Korea, the United States, and Japan between June 1950 and 2007 and related actions. Reports of North Korean involvement in drug trafficking and "political and other extrajudicial killing" are outside the purview of this report.
- Extending NASA’s Exemption from the Iran, North Korea, and Syria Nonproliferation Act
- No Description Available.
- North Korean Crisis: Possible Military Options
- This report discusses the geography and military balance on the Korean Peninsula, presents the range of military options that might be applied there to specific U.S. political objectives, and assesses possible consequences. Military options discussed are: status quo, improved defensive posture, enforce sanctions, preemptive strike against nuclear facilities, and preemptive war.
- U.S. Assistance to North Korea: Fact Sheet
- This report summarizes U.S. aid to the Democratic People's Republic of North Korea (DPRK, also known as North Korea).
- North Korean Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States
- This report updates recent information concerning, specifically, North Korea's long-range ballistic missile program. On July 4-5, 2006, North Korea test-launched seven ballistic missiles, including a new Taepo Dong 2 that failed soon after launch. The apparently successful shorter-range missile tests included some combination of SCUDs and No Dongs.
- The North Korean Economy: Leverage and Policy Analysis
- This report provides an overview of the North Korean economy, its external economic relations, reforms, and U.S. policy options.
- North Korean Crime-for-Profit Activities
- This report discusses the North Korean regime and its involvement in the production and trafficking of illicit drugs, counterfeit currency, cigarettes, and pharmaceuticals.
- North Korea: Terrorism List Removal?
- This report discusses the removal of North Korea's inclusion on the U.S. list of terrorism-supporting countries.
- North Korea: Terrorism List Removal?
- This report discusses the possibility of removing North Korea from the U.S. terrorism list. It includes background on U.S. negotiations with North Korea, various terrorist state designations, the process and rationale for adding or removing countries from the list, and other related information.
- North Korea: U.S. Relations, Nuclear Diplomacy, and Internal Situation
- This report covers the overall U.S.-North Korea relationship, with an emphasis on nuclear diplomacy. Negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons program have occupied the past three U.S. administrations, even as some analysts anticipated a collapse of the isolated authoritarian regime. North Korea has been the recipient of over $1 billion in U.S. aid (though none since 2009) and the target of dozens of U.S. sanctions.
- North Korean Ballistic Missile Threat to the United States
- This report briefly reviews North Korea's ballistic missile program. In summer 2007, North Korea tested modern, short-range missiles. In February 2009, South Korea reported the DPRK had deployed a new intermediate-range missile.
- North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Development and Diplomacy
- This report provides background information on the nuclear negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Since August 2003, negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons programs have involved six governments: the United States, North Korea, China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia.
- North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Development and Diplomacy
- This report provides background information on the nuclear negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Since August 2003, negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons programs have involved six governments: the United States, North Korea, China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia.
- North Korea: Terrorism List Removal
- This report discusses the issue of North Korea's inclusion on the U.S. list of terrorism-supporting countries that has been a major issue in U.S.-North Korean diplomacy since 2000, particularly in connection with negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program.
- North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Development and Diplomacy
- This report provides background information on the nuclear negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons program. Since August 2003, negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons programs have involved six governments: the United States, North Korea, China, South Korea, Japan, and Russia.
- North Korea: Economic Leverage and Policy Analysis
- This report discusses the current political and economic state of North Korea, especially in regards to cooperative international efforts to dismantle North Korea's nuclear program and its trading relationships with China and Russia, especially.
- North Korea: Terrorism List Removal
- This report discusses the issue of North Korea's inclusion on the U.S. list of terrorism-supporting countries that has been a major issue in U.S.-North Korean diplomacy since 2000, particularly in connection with negotiations over North Korea's nuclear program. North Korea demanded that the Clinton and Bush Administration remove North Korea from the terrorism support list. Secretary of State Clinton said on June 7, 2009, that the Obama Administration would consider reinstating North Korea on the list.
- North Korea's Nuclear Weapons Development and Diplomacy
- This report provides background information on the nuclear negotiations over North Korea's nuclear weapons program that began in the early 1990s under the Clinton Administration. It also provides information on other concerns that the U.S. has with North Korea, and discusses U.S. engagement activities with North Korea.
- North Korea's Nuclear Weapons: Technical Issues
- This report summarizes what is known from open sources about the North Korean nuclear weapons program--including weapons-usable fissile material and warhead estimates--and assesses current developments in achieving denuclearization.
- Korea-U.S. Relations: Issues for Congress
- This report outlines the various elements of the bilateral relations between both the U.S. and North Korea and the U.S. and South Korea, especially nuclear nonproliferation agreements, nuclear dismantlement policies, and U.S. military troop withdrawals from South Korea.
- North Korea's Nuclear Weapons: Technical Issues
- This report summarizes what is known from open sources about the North Korean nuclear weapons program--including weapons-usable fissile material and warhead estimates--and assesses current developments in achieving denuclearization.
- Nuclear Weapons R&D Organizations in Nine Nations
- This report describes the organizations controlling research and development (R&D) on nuclear weapons in several nations, and presents a brief history of the organizations controlling nuclear weapons R&D in the United States. It discusses whether these organizations are civilian or military, though in many nations the lines between civilian and military are blurred.
- Ballistic Missile Defense in the Asia-Pacific Region: Cooperation and Opposition
- This report presents background information and discusses potential issues for Congress relating to U.S. ballistic missile defense (BMD) efforts in the Asia-Pacific region. These efforts pose several potential policy, funding, and oversight issues for Congress. Decisions that Congress makes on these issues could affect U.S. defense funding requirements and military capabilities, and U.S. relations with countries in the Asia Pacific region, including China, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, and Australia.
- China-North Korea Relations
- This report provides a brief survey of China-North Korea relations, assesses China's objectives and actions, and raises policy issues for the United States.
- North Korea's Nuclear Weapons: Technical Issues
- This report summarizes what is known from open sources about the North Korean nuclear weapons program--including weapons-usable fissile material and warhead estimates--and assesses current developments in achieving denuclearization.