CAMBRIDGE, England -- Caught in the crossfire of the first presidential debate between U.S. President George W. Bush and Sen. John Kerry, most Americans were likely taken aback by Korea's prominence and prospects.
While it is highly unlikely that the positions of either candidate will affect the outcome of the election itself, they may very well have a decisive bearing on the resolution of the current nuclear impasse.
The United States and North Korea have been negotiating over the North's nuclear-fuel reprocessing and its program for acquiring weapons of mass destruction for a decade -- during which only one agreement (the Agreed Framework) was reached, partially implemented and broken by both sides.