"We think they are beginning to sweat a little," a senior American official involved in North Korean issues said today.

"If a third round takes place, attempts will be made to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue in a more fundamental way," Han said.

It is impossible to gain a realistic appreciation of the North Korean nuclear issue unless we see it in its political and strategic context.

He has since left Pyongyang for Vietnam but is still involved in North Korean issues.

"This is more serious than before," a South Korean official who works on North Korean issues said.

Like the South Korean issue, it appears to have been a success.

Despite the presence of 37,000 American troops here, many South Koreans see this as a Korean issue.

At heart the Korean issue is a family dispute about money and power.

The North Korean issue demonstrates how important political-military relations remain in the Pacific.

The Korean issue will heat up.