Live Blog: Presidential Address on Nuclear Weapons
Posted: March 25, 2012 Filed under: Barack Obama | Tags: nuclear weapons, Seoul Korea 25 Comments
AT 9:30 pm EDT President Obama will address US efforts to deter the spread nuclear weapons. The broadcast of the speech can be found at the White House Web Site.
The State Department will be live tweeting the speech from Seoul Korea from @eAsiaMediaHub.
This speech comes at a time when Iran may be weaponizing Uranium. The speech will reinforce earlier talks on the issue.
Meeting with South Korean college students in Seoul on Monday (local time), President Barack Obama will recall his major speech in Prague three years ago on his vision of a world free of nuclear weapons, the White House said.
Obama is on a trip to South Korea to attend the second Nuclear Security Summit. He will begin his second-day schedule with a special lecture at the Hankuk University of Foreign Studies. Around 700 students are invited.
“He’ll discuss his Prague agenda to stop the spread of nuclear weapons and seek the peace and security of a world without them, including his commitment to safe, clean nuclear energy as part of his comprehensive strategy to develop all sources of American energy,” the White House said.
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Right now, the president is talking about the US-South Korea relationship and recommiting the US to protecting the nation.
I confess, I did not even know about this trip. He’s talking about reunification? Wonder how that will go over in the North???
Thanks for bringing us [me] up to speed, Dak!
Yeah, I knew he was there, but did not know about the speech. Thanks for blogging it Dak.
I thought it was an important topic.
One of the more important topics for our foreign policy for sure. The administration seems to be doing a good job of sequestering loose nuclear material.
Now he’s talking about the vision of a world without Nuclear Weapons and referring to his Warsaw speech.
Obama is now talking about making sure nations are securing enriched uranium, nuclear material, and stockpiles.
Reuters says the president will announce that the US will further reduce its own stockpile.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/03/26/us-nuclear-summit-obama-speech-idUSBRE82P00G20120326
I read the other day at Maddowblog where they have completely cleaned up 6 countries now. That and reducing our own stockpile is a bfd to me.
The president has announced an agreement with European nations to provide isotopes for cancer treatment that don’t require materials that could be used for bombs.
He says we have a moral obligation to make agreements like the new Russian START agreement to cut Russian and US deployed nuclear war heads.
The president is speaking to North Korea and its provocations and tests. He is speaking of the sanctions that are in place.
Now he’s talking about Iran being belligerent about its program too.
Now he’s talking about Fukushima and the need to make nuclear energy facilities more safe.
I wonder if the speech is on anywhere else? The volume is too low for me to hear on the WH site.
I can just barely hear it with headphones.
I couldn’t find it. I did have to reload it to hear it better. I had no sound for a few minutes.
Well I was able to hear about half of it, I think.
He’s talking about people who have left North Korea and built good lives. This shows that Koreans are one people.
He talks about how East and West Germany were reunited after years of being divided. Although countries differ, it will happen in Korea too. “The checkpoints will open…families will be reunited.”
The U.S. stands with Korea–all Koreans. He ended with something in Korean–don’t know what it means.
Some rather nice music is playing as Obama shakes hands and works the room.
Lots of smart phones being held up to take photos of the prez.
And the broadcast has ended.
BBC article about the speech
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-17507976
Have you even seen this documentary called A State of Mind (2004) – IMDb
It is about two girls, gymnast in North Korea. It may not show all the horrors the people of North Korea face, but it is chilling to say the least when you see what the North Korean government did allow.
Here is the trailer: