Our long history of misjudging N. Korea

Korean countries.

In 1994, the Bill Clinton administration gave massive aid to North Korea under the “Agreed Framework” deal, including heavy fuel oil. In exchange, North Korea promised to cease its ongoing nuclear proliferation.

Predictably, North Korean leadership lied. It eagerly took the aid only to fasttrack its nuclear weapons program.

The George W. Bush administration in 2003 arranged for “six-party talks” — China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea and the U.S. — to discourage North Korean nuclear proliferation. America and its allies once more provided aid and promised not to attack the Kim Jong Il regime. In exchange, Pyongyang agreed in writing to dismantle “all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs.”

North Korea interpreted American concessions as weakness to be exploited rather than magnanimity to be reciprocated.

In 2006, North Korea detonated a nuclear device. The Barack Obama administration followed the same tired script of lecturing North Korea about its violations of international law. Then, predictably, Obama gave more aid to North Korea while pleading that it change its behavior and denuclearize.

Obama misjudged North Korea as every other president had since the end of the Korean War. North Korea only further expanded its nuclear arsenal.

Soon after Donald Trump was elected, North Korea announced that it was now capable of using its nuclear weaponry to take out cities on America’s West Coast. But this time around, the U.S. did not offer bribes. Instead, it issued its own threats to North Korea.

But the Trump administration also lined up an international boycott of North Korea that is slowly squeezing the regime. Now, Kim Jong Un wants to talk. A collapsing North Korea once again claims it will denuclearize, but first it wants a historic photo-op with a U.S. president.

What should Trump do after seven decades of North Korean aggression?

Ratchet up the embargo of North Korea. . Do not barter with Pyongyang until it is proved that it has no more nukes.