Cold War International History Project
Virtual Archive 2.0

Korea, DPRK, Nuclear Program

Conversation between Soviet Ambassador in North Korea Vasily Moskovsky and the German Ambassador
August 26 1963 - North Korea makes inquiries into acquiring German nuclear information.
 
Conversation between Soviet Ambassador in North Korea Vasily Moskovsky and Soviet specialists in North Korea
September 27 1963 - Soviet specialists in North Korea inform the Ambassador that the Koreans are attempting to acquire large amounts of uranium ore.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
January 11 1964 - Ambassadors from the Soviet Union, Hungary, and Romania discuss the zealousy of Koreans acquiring new technologies.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
March 13 1967 - Hungarian Ambassador reports on Kim Il Sung's incognito visit to Moscow, to request a nuclear power plant.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
February 29 1968 - Hungarian Embassy reports on terms of a request from the DPRK to the GDR, asking the Germans for the mutual exchange of scientists, along with purchasing various tools and technologies. The GDR asks the DPRK to appeal to the Soviet Union before pursuing the agreement any further.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
February 29 1968 - The Romanian Delegation is received in Pyongyang to discuss relations between the two countries.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in the Soviet Union to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
November 12 1969 - The Hungarian Ambassador in the DPRK discusses with Soviet officials Soviet-DPRK relations and Korea's stance on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
 
Memorandum, Branch Office of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Trade in North Korea to the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Trade
September 11 1973 - Polish and Korean officials meet to discuss and arrange technical and scientfic cooperation. Both sides agree to a mutual exchange of technicians.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
July 30 1975 - Hungarian report on Sino-Korean relations. China is wary of a second Korean War, whereas Kim Il Sung makes it clear that military force is an option. Military technology and equipment were also made available to Kim Il Sung on his foreign relations tour.
 
Memorandum, Hungarian Foreign Ministry
February 16 1976 - Korean Officials meet with the Hungarian Foreign Ministry. The North Koreans believe Korea can not be reunited peacefully, and that the DPRK is prepared for a nuclear war.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
February 18 1976 - A member of the Polish Embassy reports information on DPRK military expenditures, manpower, and desire to construct a nuclear reactor.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
April 15 1976 - Report on Soviet-Korean economic negotiations. The DPRK makes a request for a nuclear power plant, which the Soviet Union declines. The Korean delegation is overly aggressive and crude to the Soviets.
 
Telegram, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
June 25 1976 - Soviet-Korean relations deteriorate, as Korea falls behind in commercial deliveries and the Soviet Union declines to deliver a nuclear power plant.
 
Memorandum, Branch Office of the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Trade in Pyongyang to the Hungarian Ministry of Foreign Trade
August 09 1976 - Memorandum from 1976 Intergovernmental Consultative Commission, in which Korea's inability to maintain levels of trade in raw materials has negatively affected Soviet production. North Korea again asks for a nuclear power plant.
 
Memorandum, Hungarian National Commission of Atomic Energy to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
August 31 1976 - The DPRK Delegation to the IAEA expresses concern to the Hungarian Embassy, about the planned reprocessing plant to be established in South Korea. The DPRK urges it to be moved to the Philippines.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
December 08 1976 - The DPRK requests economic aid and technology from the Soviet Union. The Soviets repeatedly ignore or refuse the requests.
 
Telegram, Embassy of Hungary in the Soviet Union to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
January 20 1977 - North Korea intends to not fulfill trade obligations with the Soviet Union in order to fix the increasing economic problems. North Korea again asks for a nuclear power plant, as means of increasing prestige.
 
Memorandum, Hungarian Foreign Ministry
February 16 1977 - The DPRK reaches out to other socialist nations to gain support for its 4-point proposals. They include references to the DPRK developing nuclear power and the possibility of nuclear war on the Korean peninsula.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
November 21 1977 - Soviet-DPRK delegations meet, but agree to not discuss North Korea's economic problems repaying the Soviet Union, or the Soviet Union's refusal to supply a nuclear power plant to North Korea.
 
Telegram, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
February 17 1979 - The DPRK asks Czechoslvakia to construct a nuclear power plant, and also for uranium-mining equipment.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
March 12 1981 - The Soviet Union continues talks with the DPRK regarding economic issues. The Soviet Union extends North Korea's credit, yet continues to defer the construction of the repeatedly requested power plant. Sino-Korean relations are also criticized.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
April 30 1981 - A North Korean delegations visits technical universities and colleges in Czechoslovakia and the GDR. North Korea urgently seeks to send post-graduate students and trainees to study in fields related to nuclear physics, laser technology, et c.
 
Memorandum, Hungarian Academy of Sciences to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
March 07 1983 - The DPRK asks Hungary to train Korean experts on the operation and management of a nuclear power plant.
 
Letter, Hungarian Foreign Ministry to the Hungarian Academy of Sciences
April 06 1983 - Hungary politely defers North Korea's request for training on a nuclear power plant to the Soviets.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
March 09 1985 - The Soviet Union and DPRK enter negotiations to build a nuclear power plant, and "practically reach a preliminary agreement." North Korea views the construction as being a means of increasing economic and political prestige.
 
Report, Embassy of Hungary in North Korea to the Hungarian Foreign Ministry
May 30 1988 - Negotiations continue at the Soviet-Korean Intergovernmental Economic, Technical, and Scientific Commission on the construction of a nuclear power plant in North Korea. No agreement is reached on selecting a construction site.
 

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