State Sponsors of Terrorism
In August 2003, China, Japan, North Korea, Russia, South Korea, and the United States engaged in six-party talks, which led to North Korea in 2005 vowing to abandon “all nuclear weapons and existing nuclear programs” and again become a signatory to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. In 2008, the US removed North Korea from the US "State Sponsors of Terrorism" list after North Korea verbally agreed to allow inspectors to conduct forensic tests of its nuclear materials. Six-party talks on verification, disablement, and energy assistance reached an impasse, however, due to a failure to agree on verification protocols and a North Korean rocket launch.