By Michael Ha
Staff Reporter

It appears likely that North Korea has high hopes for the incoming Barack Obama administration in Washington. The reclusive regime may be under the impression that it could get better deals, including more economic aid and other incentives, from the new progressive U.S. government, according to a report.

The U.S. News and World Report, a U.S.-based news magazine, argued in its latest December issue that next year, Pyongyang may seek more incentives and economic and fuel aid for continuing to dismantle its nuclear programs.

The report said that North Korea is now a ``de facto'' nuclear power. It also warned that it's far from clear whether Pyongyang genuinely wants to give up all its nuclear capabilities.

The U.S. news magazine also criticized the George W. Bush administration for allowing North Korea to attain more plutonium under its watch. The report pointed out that ``Under Bush, North Korea has gone from holding one or two bombs' worth of plutonium to as many as eight.''

Much of that advance in North Korea's nuclear capability, according to the report, ``occurred while administration hard-liners, hoping for regime change, resisted serious, direct talks with the North. It has now become a de facto nuclear power, testing one bomb in 2006.''

It noted that in the second Bush term, ``U.S. diplomats participated in a six-nation negotiating framework that yielded a general denuclearization agreement, a freeze on nuclear work, and some moves to disable its reactor complex in exchange for aid.''

But genuine progress has been difficult to achieve. And now the new incoming U.S. administration must continue the difficult denuclearization process, according to the U.S. News and World Report. ``The secretive regime tirelessly assembled roadblocks, throwing the problem over to Obama,'' the report said. ``The North Koreans now apparently hope that Obama will offer more incentives for them to quit the nuclear business.''

``Indeed, it is not at all certain that the North is even willing to give up all of its bombs and nuclear infrastructure,'' it said.

The latest six-party talk stalled earlier this month in Beijing when Pyongyang refused to adopt a denuclearization verification protocol that would include inspections and other steps. President-elect Obama has indicated in the past that his administration would support the continuation of six-nation talks to fully denuclearize North Korea and that he would also be open to additional high-level diplomacy between Washington and Pyongyang.

michaelha@koreatimes.co.kr