Preceding NAPSNet Report

I. United States

1. DPRK – US Relations

Washington Post (“NORTH KOREAN U.N. ENVOY VISITS CAPITOL HILL “, 2004-07-21) reported that a senior DPRK official, in an unusual visit to Capitol Hill sanctioned by the Bush administration, said “big differences” remain between the DPRK and the US over the DPRK’s nuclear ambitions, but he asserted that the reclusive nation will pledge not to test or transfer nuclear weapons and would ultimately dismantle its nuclear programs if the US dropped its “hostile policy.” Yesterday, however, Pak and Han spent hours on Capitol Hill, attending an all-day seminar in the Dirksen Senate Office Building with congressional officials, ROK parliamentarians and Korean experts and holding a news conference. Pak, in remarks to the seminar, reiterated that the DPRK believes that the root cause of the standoff is the administration’s “hostile policy” toward the DPRK. He said Pyongyang “will give up its nuclear program if conditions are met through ending the USA’s hostile policy against it.” He added that “mistrust and misunderstandings are the biggest obstacles” between the two countries.

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2. US on DPRK Nuclear Issue

The Associated Press (“NORTH KOREA URGED TO DROP NUKE PROGRAM”, 2004-07-21) reported that a top U.S. disarmament official urged the DPRK leader Kim Jong Il on Wednesday to follow the example of Libya and abandon his nuclear weapons development, saying Washington won’t be “fooled again” by Kim’s government. U.S. Undersecretary of State John Bolton said lessons learned from Libya’s pledge to eliminate weapons of mass destruction can be used to resolve the DPRK nuclear standoff. The DPRK has rejected that suggestion, calling it “unrealistic.” It says it won’t give up its nuclear weapons without concrete benefits from the US, including economic aid and written security guarantees. “Let there be no doubt: The case of Libya has shown concretely the benefits that can flow when leaders of isolated regimes make the strategic choice to invest in their countries’ future, and not in weapons of mass destruction,” Bolton said in a lecture at Seoul’s Yonsei University.

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3. DPRK Nuclear Program

Yonhap (“N.K. SCIENTIST DISCLOSES NUCLEAR SECRETS: JAPANESE MAGAZINE “, 2004-07-21) reported that a DPRK scientist has defected and disclosed secrets on Pyongyang’s nuclear development and weapons, a Japanese monthly news magazine reported in its August edition. According to “Gendai” on Wednesday, Kim Kwang-bin, a head of the DPRK’s No. 38 atomic research center, defected to an unknown third country recently through the PRC in September last year.

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4. ROK – Japan Summit

The Associated Press (“ASIAN NEIGHBORS AGREE TO HELP NORTH KOREA”, 2004-07-21) reported that the ROK pledged Wednesday to expand economic ties with the DPRK while Japan said it would seek normal relations with the DPRK when a dispute over the North’s nuclear ambitions is resolved. ROK President Roh Moo-hyun and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi agreed during their summit meeting to accelerate efforts to resolve the international standoff over the DPRK’s nuclear weapons program through close consultations with the US. “When the North Korean nuclear issue is resolved, we made clear that South Korea and Japan will cooperate,” Roh said at a joint press conference with Koizumi. “We will implement comprehensive and specific inter-Korean projects and Japan will actively work toward establishing diplomatic relations and economic cooperation with the North,” he said. He didn’t elaborate on what projects the ROK was considering.

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5. Japanese – DPRK Relations

The Associated Press (“JAPAN PM: COULD NORMALIZE TIES WITH N KOREA WITHIN 1 YEAR”, 2004-07-21) reported that Japan could hold normalization talks with the DPRK and formally establish diplomatic relations “within one year,” but no timeline has been set, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said Wednesday. “If Japan and North Korea move forward on the Pyongyang Declaration, we could normalize diplomatic relations at any time,” Koizumi said, at a joint news conference with South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun on Jeju Island, adding: “If there is the political will, it can be finished within one year. But there is no set timeline. If the political will is lacking, normalization won’t happen in two years.”

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6. Japan – US on DPRK Nuclear Program

Voice of America (“JAPANESE, US LEGISLATORS DISCUSS NORTH KOREA”, 2004-07-21) reported that a group of Japanese legislators has discussed the latest developments on the DPRK, as well as Japan’s role in the war on terrorism, with U.S. lawmakers on Capitol Hill. Five members of Japan’s parliament, called the “Diet” met with their U.S. counterparts in the House of Representatives. Congressman Christopher Cox, who heads the House Policy Committee, says the discussions covered everything from bilateral trade and economic issues to the war on terrorism, the DPRK, and security in East Asia. “We discussed our cooperation in the global war on terror, and also such regional security issues as North Korea and the PRC [China] missile buildup on the Taiwan Strait,” he said.

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7. DPRK – Pakistani Relations

Asahi Shimbun (“LETTERS SHED NEW LIGHT ON PAKISTAN’S NUCLEAR QUEST “, 2004-07-21) reported that the “father of the Islamic bomb,” Pakistani scientist Abdul Qadeer Khan, begged, flattered and sympathized with a former colleague at a Dutch physics laboratory in a bid to prize nuclear secrets in the 1970s. The Asahi Shimbun obtained copies of three letters Khan wrote to Veerman between 1976 and 1979. The letters, written in Dutch and hand-delivered by a Pakistani engineer to Veerman’s home, paint a broad picture of Khan’s efforts to build upon his nuclear connections despite strict monitoring by U.S. and European authorities. In February, Khan confessed to offering nuclear technology to Libya, Iran and the DPRK through global networks in the nuclear black market he had secretly built up. In a letter from Karachi dated Jan. 15, 1976, starting with seemingly innocent memories of the Netherlands, missing “the delicious chicken” there, Khan asked for the private address of a former FDO colleague, a centrifuge specialist. In a second letter, dated Feb. 27, 1977, from Islamabad, Khan suggested he had already asked an FDO sales representative for equipment cost estimates. In the last letter asking for confidentiality, dated July 9, 1979, the Pakistani physicist asked for centrifuge data and other components. “Frits,” he wrote, “we need this urgently because the whole research has come to a standstill. I am confident that you can obtain these [for me].”

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8. Inter – Korean Summit

Yonhap (“TIME IS NOT RIGHT FOR INTER-KOREAN SUMMIT: ROH “, 2004-07-21) reported that President Roh Moo-hyun said Wednesday he will not seek a summit meeting with DPRK leader Kim Jong-il for the time being, citing a lack of sufficient progress in the ongoing multilateral talks to resolve the DPRK nuclear issue. “I don’t think it is the right time for me to urge North Korea to participate in an inter-Korean summit meeting,” Roh said in a joint news conference with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at the end of their two-hour summit here.

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9. Inter – Korean Border Violation

Yonhap (“NORTH KOREAN SHIP CROSSES INTO SOUTHERN WATERS “, 2004-07-21) reported that a DPRK ship crossed the inter-Korean maritime border in the Yellow Sea Wednesday and drifted in ROK waters before being towed by another DPRK ship back across the border, military officials said. An unidentified DPRK ship crossed the Northern Limit Line at 4:01 p.m. and drifted about half a kilometer southward for about half an hour until it was taken northward by another DPRK ship, the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a press release.

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10. Inter – Korean Military Talks

Chosun Ilbo (“MILITARY AUTHORITIES RESISTED INTRA-KOREAN MILITARY AGREEMENTS “, 2004-07-21) reported that in the second round of intra-Korean military talks held July 4, an agreement to prevent accidental clashes in the West Sea and remove propaganda devises along the DMZ was negotiated, but it has been learned that the militaries on both sides greatly resisted. A high-level government official said Wednesday that both nations had already begun work on preventing accidental naval clashed in the West Sea and removing propaganda devices along the front line, but these moves encountered more than a little resistance from the militaries of both sides. The official explained, “At that time, our military looked unfavorably upon removing propaganda facilities along the DMZ… Despite all the ministries, including the Defense Ministry, coming to an agreement on the issue, there were more than a few instances in which the Defense Ministry failed to convince either the Joint Chiefs of staff or the relevant armies.”

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11. Inter – Korean Relations

Yonhap (“NORTH KOREAN WINS SOUTH KOREAN LITERARY PRIZE FOR FIRST TIME “, 2004-07-21) reported that a DPRK novelist was selected as the winner of a ROK prize for literature on Wednesday for the first time since the division of the Korean peninsula over half a century ago. Hong Sok-jung, 63, won the 19th Manhae Prize for Literature for his novel titled “Hwangjini” about a talented “kisaeng,” or female entertainer, during the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1910), a leading ROK publisher that gives the award said Wednesday.

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12. ROK Capital Relocation

Chosun Ilbo (“73 ADMINISTRATIVE BODIES TO BE MOVED TO NEW CAPITAL”, 2004-07-21) reported that 73 national bodies, including bodies attached to Cheong Wa Dae, are being moved first to the new administrative capital. The Presidential Committee for Administrative Capital Relocation decided that of 254 administrative bodies, 73 bodies — including Cheong Wa Dae and major central government bodies — would be moved in stages to the new capital between 2012 and 2014. About 18,027 staff members are targeted for the move. The committee decided, however, that it would defer on moving the 11 constitutional bodies — including the National Assembly and Supreme Court — that were originally scheduled to be moved; given the controversy surrounding the capital relocation, the committee decided to leave the decision to move up to the bodies themselves.

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13. ROK Labor Unrest

Reuters (“S.KOREA STRIKES SPREAD TO SUBWAY; ARRESTS SOUGHT “, 2004-07-21) reported that ROK prosecutors warned unions Wednesday that leaders of a subway strike face arrest and they may also detain organizers of a walkout paralyzing the second-biggest oil refiner if work does not resume soon. The renewed wave of strikes, which cripple sectors of the country each summer, pose a fresh test for President Roh Moo-hyun, a former labor lawyer, previously criticized by employers for being too soft on the unions. State prosecutors said they would seek warrants to arrest leaders of the subway strike by 7,000 workers that has been declared illegal by the government. They said strike leaders at LG-Caltex Oil Corp could face similar action if work did not resume soon. The strike that began Sunday as a walkout showed no sign of ending.

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14. US – Japanese Trade Relations

Agence France-Presse (“JAPAN, US MAD COW EXPERTS MEET FOR TALKS ON RESUMING US BEEF IMPORTS”, 2004-07-21) reported that Japanese and US officials met at the start of two days of working-level talks on lifting Tokyo’s import ban on US beef, with reports saying Tokyo will ease its demand that all US cattle be screened. Both sides are expected to acknowledge Thursday that current tests cannot detect mad cow disease in young cattle, Jiji Press and private broadcaster TV Tokyo said. The concession would be a major step back from Japan’s demand that all US cattle be tested for the brain-wasting disease before it lifts a ban on US beef imposed since a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) was found in Washington State in December. The US has rejected the demand, saying that blanket testing of young cattle was not scientifically meaningful.

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15. Abductee Reunion

Reuters (“JAPAN IN TOUCH WITH U.S. AS ACCUSED EX-G.I. GETS CARE”, 2004-07-21) reported that Japan will stay in close touch with the US while former U.S. army sergeant Charles Robert Jenkins, accused of deserting to DPRK, gets medical care, a senior government spokesman said Wednesday. Jenkins, 64, arrived in Tokyo Sunday with his Japanese wife, Hitomi Soga, and their two DPRK-born daughters, for medical treatment after the family was reunited in Indonesia on July 9. “The medical examination began yesterday and while I don’t know the details, it must continue,” Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Masaaki Yamazaki told a news conference. “It will take some time,” Yamazaki added. “Treatment must continue until his health recovers sufficiently, and we have conveyed this to the United States. So, while watching his health situation, we want to stay in close touch with the United States.”

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16. Japan on Iraq Hostage Threat

Reuters (“JAPAN TO STAY IN IRAQ DESPITE PURPORTED THREAT “, 2004-07-21) reported that Japan said Wednesday it will keep its troops in Iraq despite threats, purportedly from a group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, of attacks if Japan does not withdraw its forces. The purported statement from Zarqawi, an Islamic militant with suspected ties to al Qaeda, was posted Tuesday on an Islamist Web site and demanded Japan follow the Philippines and pull its troops out. A later Internet message disowned the warning. Deputy Cabinet Secretary Masaaki Yamazaki said Tokyo was checking on the credibility of the statements but said its stance on Iraq remained unchanged. “For the rebuilding of Iraq, we must continue our support and not give in to terrorism,” Yamazaki told a news conference.

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17. Fischer Asylum Request

The Associated Press (“CHESS GREAT FISCHER SEEKING ASYLUM “, 2004-07-21) reported that former world chess champion Bobby Fischer has appealed Japanese plans to deport him to the US and hopes to find political asylum in a third country, a friends said Wednesday. Fischer was detained by Japanese immigration officials last week after trying to leave the country for the Philippines. Officials say his passport was invalid, and on Tuesday confirmed that he was being processed for deportation. Fischer is wanted in the US for playing a rematch against Soviet world champion Boris Spassky in Yugoslavia in 1992. Yugoslavia was under international sanctions at the time, and U.S. citizens were banned from doing business there. Fischer won the match and more than $3 million in prize money. Immigration officials have refused to comment on Fischer’s case, other than to confirm he was taken into custody and faces deportation. When that might happen remains unclear.

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18. PRC – US War Games

Los Angeles Times (“CHINA, U.S. EACH HOLD MAJOR WAR EXERCISES”, 2004-07-21) reported that the PRC and the US are conducting separate military exercises this week in displays of might amid tensions between the mainland and Taiwan over the island’s sovereignty, military analysts say. In a highly unusual move, the PRC has publicized amphibious military operations being held on mainland-controlled islands in the Taiwan Strait. The war games, which simulate an invasion of Taiwan, involve 18,000 PRC troops in weeklong land, sea and air maneuvers, according to the state-run media. The U.S. exercise, dubbed Summer Pulse 2004, involves seven aircraft-carrier strike groups, 50 warships, 600 aircraft and 150,000 troops around the globe. A U.S. military official on Monday said Summer Pulse was aimed at increasing preparedness for any global crisis, not specifically the PRC-Taiwan issue. The official said only one aircraft carrier was scheduled to be located in the western Pacific Ocean.

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19. Cross Straights Relations

The Associated Press (“TAIWAN PREPARES FOR POSSIBLE AIR ATTACK “, 2004-07-21) reported that Taiwanese fighter jets practiced landing on a highway that was temporarily closed to traffic early Wednesday, a rare drill to prepare pilots for the possible bombing of air bases by the PRC, officials said. The island has not held such an exercise in 26 years, and it comes as the PRC conducts war games that Beijing’s state-controlled media have said are practice for a long-threatened attack on Taiwan. The drills are partly about posturing, with China trying to warn the Taiwanese against seeking a permanent split. Taiwan – which has repeatedly rebuffed Beijing’s demands to unify – wants to show that it is ready to fend off any invasion.

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20. PRC Export Controls

Agence France-Presse (“CHINA ENACTS LAWS TO CONTROL MISSILE TECHNOLOGY EXPORTS”, 2004-07-21) reported that the PRC has fully enacted regulations to control exports of nuclear, biological, chemical and missile technologies as it vowed to work with the US on non-proliferation. “China has formulated and enacted a number of laws and regulations, which form a complete system for export controls on nuclear, biological, chemical, missile and other sensitive items and technologies,” said Vice-Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui. “As terror groups’ access to weapons of mass destruction (WMD) have become more of a major threat to world security, the PRC is teaming up with other countries such as the US to improve global non-proliferation,” he was quoted as saying by the China Daily. In recent years, the PRC and Chinese companies have repeatedly been at the receiving end of US sanctions for proliferating missile technology or other technologies used to build WMD.

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21. PRC Pro-Democracy Movement

Agence France-Presse (“HK DEMOCRATS INVITED TO CHINESE ARMY PARADE FOR FIRST TIME”, 2004-07-21) reported that Hong Kong democrats will for the first time be invited to meet senior members of the PRC military, the People’s Liberation Army. Pro-democracy lawmakers have been invited along with other legislators to meet the garrison for an August 1 parade to mark the 77th anniversary of the founding of the PLA, Democratic Party leader Yeung Sum said. “It’s a good gesture as they’d always excluded the democrats,” Yeung, who heads the city’s leading pro-democracy party, told AFP. However, Yeung cautioned against reading too much into the invitation. “It would only be a ceremony and it’s not a dialogue with Beijing,” he said. “It would be better if we can actually communicate with the Chinese officials about real issues.”

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22. PRC Whistleblower Arrest

The New York Times (“CHINA RELEASES THE SARS WHISTLE-BLOWER”, 2004-07-21) reported that the PRC military authorities have released the prominent surgeon who exposed the PRC’s SARS cover-up and condemned the 1989 crackdown on democracy protesters, apparently bowing to the doctor’s status as a local hero and to international pressure to free him, people informed about his case said Tuesday. The doctor, Jiang Yanyong, 72, returned home Monday night after about 45 days in military custody, where he underwent political indoctrination and was investigated for possible criminal activity, one person told about his case said. He is not expected to be charged with a crime. Yet the decision to allow him to return home appears to amount to a rare victory for an individual who directly and repeatedly confronted China’s Communist Party leaders. In a letter released in February, Dr. Jiang pressed government leaders to admit that the Tiananmen Square crackdown of June 1989 was wrong.

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23. PRC Rise in Poverty

The Associated Press (“CHINA SEES INCREASE IN DIRE POVERTY “, 2004-07-20) reported that the number of PRC citizens surviving on less than 21 cents a day rose by 800,000 in 2003, the first increase in dire poverty since the PRC began loosening state controls on the economy in the early 1980s, state media reported Tuesday. Natural disasters were a major reason behind the rise, the official Xinhua News Agency reported Liu Jian, director of the government’s Poverty Alleviation and Development office, as saying. The government says 29 million people lack adequate food, clothing or shelter. That is less than 3 percent of the PRC’s 1.3 billion people. The PRC’s official poverty line is $77 per person a year, or 21 cents a day, far below the world’s average annual rural income, which was $316 last year.

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24. PRC Dissident Arrest

The Associated Press (“GROUP: CHINA HOLDING U.S.-BASED DISSIDENT “, 2004-07-21) reported that the PRC is holding a U.S.-based dissident who disappeared while traveling in Myanmar, a human rights group said Wednesday. Peng Ming, a veteran PRC democracy activist who lives in California, was arrested in Myanmar around May 22 on charges of possessing fake Chinese money and turned over to PRC authorities, according to Washington-based Worldrights. Myanmar and the PRC may have worked together “to snare” Peng, the group said in a statement. It said he was detained with a Chinese companion, Zhong Ping, who is under house arrest. “Without certifiable proof of any wrongdoing on Peng’s part, his detention is manifestly arbitrary,” said Worldrights executive director Timothy Cooper in the statement. “We call for Peng’s immediate release and his safe return to the United States.”

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25. US Military Bases

Donga Ilbo (“U.S. TO BUILD A NAVAL BASE IN WESTERN PACIFIC”, 2004-07-21) reported that Asahi Shimbun reported on July 21, quoting an insider of the U.S. Navy, about the U.S.’s plan to commence building a naval base in the western Pacific in 2007 if they fail to secure a base on land near the areas of conflict. This naval base will be built to enhance the mobility of dispatched troops and will house aircraft carriers and battleships that can load about 10 fighter planes. Also, combat units including marines will be stationed at the base and will be ready to be sent to areas of conflict, and the base will serve as a refueling point to provide needed equipments after a raid. The Navy insider reported Guam in the western Pacific to be most likely candidate to be the host of this base, but it can be any other area in the Pacific.