On October 9, 2006, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, also known as North Korea, announced it had successfully carried out its first nuclear test, a week after it made known its intention to carry out such a test. After this test, US imperialism intensified its efforts to isolate North Korea and impose sanctions against it. On the prodding of US imperialists, UN Security Council has imposed sanctions against North Korea.

Nuclear test by North Korea has come in response to the intimidations and threats by US imperialists and its allies. Japanese Govt. of Abe, successor to Koizumi and grandson of a senior politician associated with 2nd World War aggression by Japan, has been very vocal in its opposition of North Korea even threatening it with pre-emptive strikes. US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice has been touring countries of the region to buttress the US efforts at making sanctions against North Korea "effective" and persuading other countries for searches of North Korean ships, a deliberately provocative move.

North Korea has been forced into conducting nuclear test to ward off aggressive postures of US imperialists and its allies. North Korea had tried its best to come to peace terms with US but its efforts were spurned by US imperialists. It is significant that Bush in January 2002 had included North Korea along with Iran and Iraq in his infamous "axis of evil". It should be kept in mind that US is officially at war with North Korea since 1950 (an armistice was agreed upon in 1953). Of late US imperialists had increased the tempo of their intimidatory tactics against North Korea. In late June of this year, the US conducted military exercises in the western Pacific, biggest since the end of Vietnam war in 1975, mobilizing 22,000 troops, 280 warplanes and 28 war ships. These exercises involved stationing two guided missile cruisers off the North Korean coast. (Iggy Kim, October 18, 2006) North Korea responded by conducting multiple missile launch tests on July 5, '06, several short-range missiles and a long-range Taepong-2.

These missile tests were condemned by UN Security Council including Russia and China. US and Japan were most aggressive. In this situation came the nuclear test by North Korea.

Imperialists have been conducting disinformation campaign to show that North Korea has been nuclearlizing the Korean pennisula. They ignore the fact that US imperialism, with biggest nuclear arsenal in the world, has troops on the Korean soil with nearly 50,000 on southern border of North Korea and threatens North Korea repeatedly. Its warships with nuclear heads are stationed in Korean waters. It has accorded nuclear umbrella to Japan and South Korea. It is the US imperialists who are responsible for nuclearizing the Korean pennisula, North Korea's reaction is defensive.

It is the US imperialists who have tried to undermine North Korean sovereignty. In 1991 US had raised confrontation with North Korea over its nuclear programme. In 1994 US had agreed to supply fuel to North Korea. In October 2002, US demanded that North Korea abandon its uranium enrichment programme. North Korea as a signatory to nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) was entitled to enrich uranium to prepare fuel for its two small nuclear power plants at its Yongbon reactors. Two months later US suspended supply of fuel to North Korea. In response North Korea in January 2003 announced its plans to reactivate Yongbon reactors, to withdraw from from NPT and to extract plutonium from spent nuclear fuel rods to create a "workable nuclear deterrent." Every member of NPT has an option to leave NPT under clause X of its charter.

It was the time US sought to bring China and Russia in their talks with North Korea as Six Party Talks hoping to nudge China and Russia to bring pressure on North Korea. On September 19, 2005 US signed a deal under which US agreed  to work to normalize its relations with North Korea. In return North Korea agreed to abandon its nuclear weapons programme and return to NPT which it had left in 2003. But the US Admn. did not mean to honour its commitment. Soon after US accused North Korea of producing counterfeit US$ 100 notes and pressurized banks around the world to stop dealing with North Korea. US could not convince its ally, South Korea nor the European Business Association which asked US to end its financial sanctions. The real purpose of US Admn. was to scuttle the September '05 agreement at Six Party Talks.  US allies too were not far behind. Australia in 2003, accused North Korea of smuggling heroin, after the drug was found in a grounded North Korea cargo ship off the Victorian coast. However after a seven month trial, Victorian Supreme Court jury found the ship's crew innocent of charges of drug trafficking.

It is the US imperialists who have forced North Korea to embark on nuclear weapons programme. They are moving against Iran for complying with NPT and against North Korea for not complying with it even while it has left NPT. US imperialists and western powers are utterly hypocritical as they increase their nuclear arsenal and flout the NPT mandate for reduction in their nuclear arsenal. They do not hesitate to threaten non-nuclear countries with nuclear attack. While they target North Korea and Iran, they have helped Israel in assembling nuclear arsenal and do not allow this even to be discussed in IAEA.

North Korea faced a dilemma in face of changed stance of Chinese leadership. Chinese leadership has collaborated with western imperialist powers in their invasion of Afghanistan and intimidation of other third world countries. Knowing full well threats by US imperialism, Chinese leadership condemned North Korea on missile tests and now nuclear test. While having their own differences with US imperialism, Chinese rulers wish to keep North Korea perpetually dependent on them. North Koreans obviously do not like being bargaining chips.

NPT is a thoroughly discriminatory treaty, and its practice by US imperialism makes it even more so. Peace loving people of the world want complete Nuclear Disarmament. Non-proliferation has been the tool of imperialist powers to monopolize nuclear weapons and use their threats to dominate other countries. It is the nuclear weapons country who have totally disowned their obligations under NPT for moving towards disarmament even while they impose their will, under the garb of NPT provisions on non-nuclear countries.

Stance of Indian Govt. is totally unprincipled and shows the new forged closer relationship with US imperialism. Indian Govt. condemned the North Korean nuclear test in the name of NPT though Indian Govt. itself had been holding that the NPT was a discriminatory treaty. Earlier, Indian Govt. had sided with US imperialism against Iran even when that country has conformed to the provisions of NPT. Now it condemned North Korea, the country that had left NPT. India is also not a signatory to NPT but the Indian rulers are applying double standards, on the pattern of their imperialist mentors. They are riding high on the Bushy promise of civilian nuclear co-operation and ignoring the concerns of third world countries and the world people.

US Admn.'s campaign against North Korea is a clear example of bullying of a small country by the imperialist super-power. It is opposed by the peace loving people around the world. US Admn.'s attempts to stoke up confrontation with North Korea is resisted by its close ally, South Korea, also. There is a strong public opinion in South Korea against US military presence in their country and demanding US troop withdrawal from their country. People of South Korea know well that North Korea poses no danger to them and it is the US imperialism that is fomenting trouble in the pennisula. South Korean ruling class is not in favour of aggravating relations with North Korea. It is not only because of a strong nationalist feeling in Korea, but also due to the fact that South Korea looks for trade options around the world. Japanese rulers on the other hand are hawkish over North Korea even as they move on to glorify their atrocities on the countries of East before and during the Second World War which has worsened its relations with its neighbours, including the two Koreas. US Admn. has been the main supporter of Koizumi-Abe tilt in that direction.

There is a strong feeling among the people that US Admn. is forced to talk of dialogue because North Korea, though small, is not powerless. When US invaded Iraq accusing it of possessing weapons of mass destruction, people knew that no such weapons are there otherwise US would not invade. But the US rulers had not reckoned with the weapon of mass resistance which has forced US rulers to look for alternatives. The serious blows given by Iraqi national resistance and resurgence of national resistance in Afghanistan are definite pointers of the developing situation. US is not the sole arbiter in the world despite being the only superpower. If they talk of dialogue one knows that the other option is not on the table, for the US President Bush takes nothing off the table except common sense.