Preceding NAPSNet Report

I. United States

1. US, ROK, Japan on DPRK Nuclear Talks

International Herald Tribune (“ALLIES DOUBT FUTURE OF NORTH KOREA TALKS”, 2005-04-28) reported that a senior US official expressed doubt on Wednesday about the future of six-nation talks on ending the DPRK’s nuclear weapons program, as the US and its allies considered how long they should continue their so-far unsuccessful diplomatic effort to persuade the DPRK to return to the negotiating table. In public statements, the US, ROK and Japan still emphasize the need for a diplomatic end to the nuclear dispute. But over the past few weeks, especially after a series of what have been viewed as provocative moves by the DPRK, the allies have begun to contemplate whether it was time for a new approach.

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2. US, PRC on DPRK Nuclear Talks

Xinhua news (“CHINA CITES US ENVOY ON WILLINGNESS TO STICK TO SIX-PARTY TALKS”, 2005-04-28) reported that the chief US envoy on the Korean Peninsula nuclear issue told the PRC that the US is willing to stick to the six-party talks for a peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue through dialogue, a PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman said here Thursday. Spokesman Qin Gang quoted US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill, who visited the PRC in the last two days, as saying that the US could “do many things” if the six-party talks were restarted.

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3. US, Japan on DPRK Nuclear Talks

Jiji Press (“6-PARTY NUCLEAR PROCESS FACING DIFFICULTY: JAPAN, U.S.”, 2005-04-28) reported that the top Japanese and US negotiators on the DPRK’s nuclear weapons program concurred in a meeting that the six-party disarmament process for Pyongyang is facing a major difficulty. The meeting was held between Kenichiro Sasae, director-general of the Japanese Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau, and Christopher Hill, US assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs. The officials were also believed to have discussed the possibility of referring the problem to the U.N. Security Council.

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4. US on DPRK Nuclear Talks

Reuters (“U.S. ENVOY SAYS 6-WAY TALKS STILL BEST FOR N.KOREA”, 2005-04-28) reported that Washington still believes six-country talks are the best way to resolve the DPRK nuclear crisis, the top US diplomat on the matter said on Thursday, steering clear of speculation that a deadline was looming for Pyongyang to return to the table. US Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill declined to say whether he thought the stalled multilateral talks would resume before the end of June. “I don’t want to speculate on when the talks would get going, nor do I want to give an artificial deadline, except to say that it’s very important that we get the process going that can address this issue,” Hill said after meeting Japanese officials.

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5. Japan on DPRK Nuclear Talks

The Yomiuri Shimbun (“JAPAN WILLING TO BACK SECURITY COUNCIL DEBATE ON NORTH KOREA”, 2005-04-28) reported that the Japanese government will demand that the issue of the DPRK’s nuclear arms development be addressed at the UN Security Council if Pyongyang continues to refuse to participate in six-way talks on the topic, The Yomiuri Shimbun learned. It also was learned that Japan, the US and the ROK will hold a meeting of high-level officials in May over the process to bring the case to the United Nations. In a meeting in Tokyo, Kenichiro Sasae, director general of the Foreign Ministry’s Asian and Oceanian Bureau, and his US counterpart, Christopher Hill, agreed on the need to consider an “alternative” to the six-way talks if Pyongyang does not return to the negotiating table in the near future.

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6. DPRK-Japanese Trade

Jiji Press (“IMPORTS FROM N. KOREA TO JAPAN HALVE IN MARCH”, 2005-04-28) reported that Japanese imports from the DPRK in March dropped by half in value from the year before, trade statistics of the Finance Ministry showed Wednesday. Such imports totaled 926 million yen, down 52.4 pct, according to the ministry’s preliminary trade data. Imports of fresh asari clams, a main trade item between the two countries, dropped to zero. The decline followed the implementation of a law on March 1 barring from Japanese ports large ships that are not insured for oil spills and other damage.

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7. ROK on DPRK Nuclear Issue

Yonhap news (“SEOUL EYES EXPANDED ECONOMIC TIES WITH N.K. TO END NUKE ROW”, 2005-04-28) reported that the ROK will actively push to expand economic cooperation with the DPRK as part of its efforts to resolve the international standoff over the DPRK’s nuclear arms program, the Unification Ministry said Thursday. The ministry, which handles inter-Korean affairs, said it will focus its efforts on the DPRK’s agriculture, a pilot industrial complex being developed in the DPRK border town of Kaesong, civilian exchanges and aid for young and elderly North Koreans.

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8. ROK on Proliferation Security Initiative

Korea Times (“S. KOREA RELUCTANT TO JOIN US-LED SECURITY INITIATIVE”, 2005-04-28) reported that with the DPRK’s nuclear issue standing at the crossroads, the American-led Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) is once again emerging as a possible means to sanction the DPRK. Seoul, however, still seems reluctant, according to officials. Nihon Keizai Shimbun, a Japanese daily, reported on Thursday that US administration officials decided to demand that the ROK and PRC, which have economic ties with the DPRK, join the PSI. Seoul, though sympathizing with the US’ goals, has been hesitant to openly participate in it for fear of upsetting Pyongyang and undermining inter-Korean reconciliation.

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9. ROK Diplomacy on DPRK Nuclear Issue

Interfax (“S. KOREAN PRESIDENT HOPES TO WIN SUPPORT ON NUCLEAR SETTLEMENT”, 2005-04-28) reported that one of the goals of ROK President Roh Moo-hyun’s trip to Moscow for the May 9 celebrations of the 60th anniversary of the Soviet victory over Nazi Germany is to win international support for a peaceful settlement of the nuclear problem on the Korean peninsula, ROK Ambassador to Moscow Kim Je-sop told reporters on Thursday. Kim said that it is also an objective of the ROK leader “to get assurance of support from the international community on the question of the peaceful settlement of the problem of nuclear arms in North Korea.”

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10. ROK on Inter-Korean Relations

Korea Times (“UNIFICATION MINISTER ASKS FOR NK’S TRUST”, 2005-04-28) reported that the ROK’s top unification official expressed disappointment at the lack of progress in inter-Korean reconciliation and urged the DPRK to show some trust in his government. “North Korea should trust our sincere approach and policies, and resume inter-Korean engagement as soon as possible,” Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said in a briefing after presenting the ministry’s annual report to the president. “It is a pity the nuclear problem has not been resolved yet and government-level talks between the two Koreas have been stalled,” he was quoted as saying earlier.

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11. ROK on DPRK Nuclear Test

Yonhap news (“SOUTH KOREAN UNIFICATION MINISTER URGES NORTH NOT TO CONDUCT NUCLEAR TESTS”, 2005-04-28) reported that the ROK on Thursday renewed its warning to the DPRK not to conduct any nuclear tests, saying such a move will shake the foundation of the six-way talks aimed at curbing the DPRK’s nuclear ambitions. “North Korea must judge cautiously,” Unification Minister Chung Dong-young said in a news conference after reporting his ministry’s policy objectives to President Roh Moo-hyun. Chung said there are no indications that the DPRK is preparing to test its atomic bombs.

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12. Gallucci on DPRK Nuclear Test

Chosun Ilbo (“N.K. NUKE TEST NO RED LINE, FORMER U.S. NEGOTIATOR SAYS”, 2005-04-28) reported that a former US nuclear negotiator said a nuclear test by the DPRK would not constitute a red line providing grounds for American military action. Georgetown University Dean Robert Gallucci, as assistant secretary of state during the 1994 standoff with the DPRK, led negotiations for the Geneva Accords. In a lecture at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC, Gallucci said a DPRK nuclear test would have negative effects on the ROK and Japan, leading to further isolation for the DPRK, and increase support for US hard-line policies. But he said it would not amount to a red line prompting use of force. That, for the Bush administration, appeared to be any attempt by the DPRK to export nuclear material, he said.

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13. US on DPRK Terrorism

Yonhap news (“US RETAINS NORTH KOREA ON LIST OF TERROR SUPPORTERS”, 2005-04-28) reported that the US has retained the DPRK on its latest list of terrorism-supporting countries, accusing the DPRK of failing to cooperate in international efforts to fight terrorist acts. The US State Department’s annual “Country Reports on Terrorism 2004”, released here on Wednesday, still identified the DPRK as remaining on the list of terrorism supporters, along with five other countries – Cuba, Syria, Iran, Libya and Sudan.

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14. US-ROK Summit

Joongang Ilbo (“JUNE DATE SEEMS LIKELY FOR ROH-BUSH MEETING”, 2005-04-28) reported that President Roh Moo-hyun’s desire for an early meeting with US President George W. Bush has been accepted by the White House, ROK officials here said yesterday. Though no date has been set, Hong Seok-hyun, the ROK’s ambassador to the US, said Wednesday that “before long, Seoul and Washington will make an official announcement that they will hold a summit. The two leaders will engage in a meaningful and in-depth discussion with ample time.”

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15. Sino-ROK Summit

Korea Herald (“ROH-HU SUMMIT IN WORKS”, 2005-04-28) reported that preparations are underway for a summit between President Roh Moo-hyun and PRC President Hu Jintao next month in Russia when they attend a ceremony marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, Cheong Wa Dae officials said. If all goes as planned, the two heads of state will meet for about 30 minutes on May 9, right after the anniversary ceremony. Officials said Roh and Hu will mostly talk about how to get the stalled six-party talks on the DPRK nuclear standoff going again and try for tangible results.

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16. DPRK Leader Visits DMZ Base

Itar-Tass (“KIM JONG IL VISITS BASE NEAR DEMILITARIZED ZONE”, 2005-04-28) reported that the DPRK leader Kim Jong Il has visited a military base located in the eastern part of the demilitarized zone that separates the two Korean states, Central Korean News Agency said Thursday. According to the report, he visited the command point of a battalion of the Korean People’s Army. Kim Jong Il praised the servicemen’s successes and pointed out the patriotic self-sacrificing the soldiers showed in defending the borders of their homeland.

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17. UN Command on DMZ Shooting

Yonhap news (“U.N. COMMAND SAYS NO EVIDENCE FOUND THAT SOUTH KOREA FIRED AT COMMUNIST BORDER GUARD POST”, 2005-04-28) reported that the US-led UN Command said it found no evidence that ROK troops fired at a DPRK border guard as claimed by the DPRK last week. The DPRK’s media said that ROK soldiers fired a gun at a DPRK guard post inside the demilitarized zone, which separates the two Koreas. The command, which oversees the southern half of the DMZ, as well as ROK soldiers conducted an investigation and “found no evidence to substantiate” the DPRK’s claims, it said in a statement. It said military police in the DMZ did hear an unidentified explosion on Saturday, but also noted that such noises in the DMZ were not uncommon because of the large number of mines left over from the Korean War.

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18. DPRK Bird Flu Outbreak

Yonhap news (“N. KOREA BIRD FLU UNDER CONTROL: UN AGENCY”, 2005-04-28) reported that a UN agency said that a bird flu outbreak in the DPRK is under control, but its veterinary consultant warned against declaring the DPRK free from the disease. “It is too early to say that the disease has been eradicated,” Voice of America (VOA) said Thursday, quoting Les Sims, a UN Food and Agriculture Organization consultant. “According to current guidelines, the country still cannot be regarded as being free from the disease… I mean, it takes time to be sure of that.”

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19. ROK Environmental Group on DMZ Development

Korea Herald (“‘PROJECTS NEAR DMZ HARM ENVIRONMENT'”, 2005-04-28) reported that an environmental group yesterday called for a halt to a development in the area south of the Demilitarized Zone, saying it severely damages the ecologically-crucial region. Green Korea said the development project will worsen the environment, which has already been damaged by construction of a railway, road and an immigration office. The development falls in the “Mintongseon” or “area that is non-accessible to civilians.” The Mintongseon spans 5-20 kilometers south of the DMZ and is the habitat of many unique species.

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20. ROK Military Reforms

Joongang Ilbo (“MINISTRY SEEKS INDEPENDENCE FOR MILITARY”, 2005-04-28) reported that the Ministry of National Defense said yesterday it will soon draft a plan to put the country’s military on an independent footing, an effort it said would take as long as 20 years. At a briefing for President Roh Moo-hyun, Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung said the ministry will submit reforms to the National Assembly by October in order to legislate the road map. According to Mr. Yoon, the plan will include preparations for the US transfer of wartime operational command to the ROK. Aiming to establish independent self-defense capabilities by 2025, the plan will outline conditions and steps needed to reshape the ROK’s readiness, which now depends on the US alliance.

(return to top) Korea Times (“S. KOREA TO CUT TROOPS”, 2005-04-28) reported that the Defense Ministry said Thursday that it will adopt a French-style military reform, which calls for a reduction in troop size, among other measures. The number of civilian posts in the ministry will increase on a gradual basis, as part of efforts to reform the Army-dominated military, Defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung said. Other reform measures include ones to strengthen the role of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and balance the number of troops for the Army, Navy and Air Force to enhance balanced development of the country’s military. The envisaged plan will also require an increase in the defense budget to 2.7 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) within the remaining term of the Roh Moo-hyun administration to ensure self-reliant deterrence capabilities against North Korea, ministry officials said. (return to top)

21. DPRK Defectors in the PRC

Yonhap news (“RALLY OUTSIDE CHINA’S SEOUL EMBASSY OVER REPATRIATION OF NORTH KOREAN REFUGEES”, 2005-04-28) reported that more than 100 human rights activists demonstrated in front of the PRC embassy in central Seoul on Thursday [28 April], calling for the PRC to stop the forced repatriation of DPRK defectors. “Most of the North Korean defectors are economic refugees who are seeking a better life,” Joanna Hosaniak of Poland told Yonhap News Agency. She was one of 15 foreign nationals to take part in the demonstration.

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22. DPRK Defector Brokers

International Herald Tribune (“NORTH KOREANS ESCAPE – FOR A PRICE”, 2005-04-28) reported that to supporters, they are heroic saviors who risk their lives to help DPRK defectors escape a country that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice of the US called an “outpost of tyranny.” To critics, they are despicable swindlers who have commercialized human rights. To most people, they are simply known as “brokers.” Their fees range from two million to 20 million ROK won, or about $1,995 to $19,950. “They are like ticks sucking blood off the poor defectors,” said Kim Dong Han, president of the Seoul-based Law and Human Rights Research Institute. “What they do is make money in the name of human rights.”

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23. Japan UNSC Bid

The Associated Press (“JAPAN’S FOREIGN MINISTER TO VISIT U.S TO PUSH FOR U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL PERMANENT SEAT”, 2005-04-28) reported that Japan’s bid for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council and the DPRK’s nuclear weapons program topped the agenda as Foreign Minister Nobutaka Machimura headed to the US on Thursday. Machimura was scheduled to leave Thursday afternoon for New York on an eight-day trip that will include talks in Washington with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Machimura had a meeting scheduled on Monday with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan. He was also to have talks with UN General Assembly chairman Jean Ping.

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24. PRC and DPRK on Japan UNSC Bid

Kyodo News (“CHINA, N. KOREA INDIRECTLY OPPOSE JAPAN’S UNSC BID”, 2005-04-28) reported that the PRC and DPRK on Wednesday indirectly opposed Japan’s bid to obtain a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, UN sources said Wednesday. Although the two nations did not directly mention Japan, they voiced strong opposition at an informal UN meeting to discuss reform of the United Nations, the sources said.

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25. US Bunker Buster Bombs

Washington Post (“‘BUNKER BUSTER’ CASUALTY RISK CITE”, 2005-04-28) reported that Earth-penetrating nuclear bombs would be capable of destroying military targets deep underground, but not without inflicting “massive casualties at ground level,” according to a congressionally mandated study released yesterday. The study’s findings reflect a growing scientific consensus that even relatively small nuclear “bunker-buster” weapons — under study by the Bush administration but strongly opposed by some members of Congress and arms-control advocates — could not be used without a high cost in human life. Such a bomb could cause more than a million deaths, depending on the yield, the report said.

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26. US Nuclear Policy

Kyodo News (“NON-NUKE STATES CRITICIZED U.S. NUKE POLICY AT MEXICO CONFERENCE”, 2005-04-28) reported that Non-nuclear states criticized the lack of effort for nuclear disarmament by the US on Wednesday, the second day of a three-day Conference of Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zones held in Mexico City. Marian Hobbs, New Zealand’s minister for disarmament and arms control, cited a ‘lack of progress in nuclear disarmament’ and criticized the US for its reluctance to promote disarmament since the 2000 Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference. The Costa Rican delegation expressed ‘disappointment’ that the US had made ‘no compliance’ with the disarmament commitment in 2000.

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27. IAEA Chief

The Associated Press (“NO DECISION MADE ON ANOTHER TERM FOR HEAD OF U.N. ATOMIC WATCHDOG AGENCY “, 2005-04-28) reported that the UN nuclear watchdog agency has postponed a decision on the reappointment of its head rather than risk a confrontation between the US and other nations at a special meeting held to decide who should lead organization. The board of the International Atomic Energy Agency has until June, when it meets for a regular session, to make a decision on letting Mohammed ElBaradei stay on for a third term as agency head, a move the US opposes. Wednesday’s deferral was aimed at avoiding a vote that would pit the US against most of the 34 other board nations, who traditionally reach decisions through consensus.

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28. Sino-Japanese East China Sea Dispute

The Associated Press (“OIL COMPANY SEEKS TO DRILL IN DISPUTED AREA”, 2005-04-28) reported that a Japanese oil producer requested oil and natural gas drilling rights in an area of the East China Sea disputed by Beijing and Tokyo, the company said. Teikoku Oil Co. said it wants to drill test wells in three areas covering a total of 160 square miles. Japan’s Trade Ministry earlier this month said it would review applications from companies hoping to explore the deep-sea reserves.

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29. Sino-US Defense Talks

Agence France Presse (“US, CHINESE MILITARY LEADERS TO HOLD ANNUAL DEFENSE TALKS IN WASHINGTON”, 2005-04-28) reported that senior US and PRC military leaders are scheduled to hold annual defense talks Thursday, Pentagon officials said. The so-called defense consultative talks come amid growing US concerns over a PRC military buildup, PRC tensions with Taiwan and Japan, and a stalemate over the DPRK’s self-declared nuclear weapons program.

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30. Cross Strait Relations

The New York Times (“TAIWAN POLITICIAN HONORS SUN YAT-SEN IN CHINA VISIT”, 2005-04-28) reported that the chairman of Taiwan’s opposition Nationalist Party, Lien Chan, sought Wednesday to straddle the political gulf between the PRC and Taiwan by paying his respects here at the tomb of a political leader who died 80 years ago. Mr. Lien pointedly made the first major act of his eight-day visit, which began Tuesday, a pilgrimage to the hillside mausoleum of Sun Yat-sen. Sun was the founder of the PRC’s first republic, and Taiwan’s Nationalists and the PRC’s Communist Party both venerate him as a “father of the nation.” “Mr. Sun Yat-sen is our common national forebear and a revolutionary prophet revered on both sides of the Strait,” said Lien, referring to China and Taiwan, in a speech near Sun’s mausoleum.

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31. PRC on Hong Kong Leadership

The New York Times (“BEIJING PUTS 2-YEAR LIMIT ON TERM FOR HONG KONG’S ACTING LEADER”, 2005-04-28) reported that the authorities in Beijing ordered that the next chief executive of Hong Kong serve only the remainder of the term of the previous chief executive, a ruling that critics of mainland policies toward the territory described as a further erosion of Hong Kong’s autonomy. The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the PRC’s Communist Party-controlled legislature, issued a legally binding interpretation of Hong Kong’s Basic Law, its miniconstitution. The interpretation will limit the chief executive to be selected this summer to the two years remaining in the second term of Tung Chee-hwa, who resigned on March 12.

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32. PRC Freedom of Religion

The Associated Press (“REPORT: CHINA DETAINS SEVEN PRIESTS”, 2005-04-28) reported that seven priests of the PRC’s underground Roman Catholic Church have been detained for attending an unauthorized retreat following the election of the new pope, a US-based monitoring group said Thursday. The priests were detained early Wednesday at the retreat led by Bishop Julius Jia Zhiguo in the PRC’s northern city of Jinzhou, the Cardinal Kung Foundation said in a statement.

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33. Australian – East Timor Oil and Gas Deal

Agence France Presse (“AUSTRALIA AND EAST TIMOR CLOSER TO A DEAL ON TIMOR SEA OIL AND GAS”, 2005-04-28) reported that East Timor are moving closer to a deal on sharing billions of dollars’ worth of oil and gas reserves under the Timor Sea. With talks due to wind up later in Dili, the two sides are discussing an agreement that would allow work to start on the Greater Sunrise oil and gas field, which has an estimated nine billion dollars (seven billion US) worth of reserves. East Timor, which was Asia’s poorest nation upon independence in May 2002, would get greatly increased payments in return for shelving talks on the maritime boundary between the two nations for 60 years, The Australian newspaper reported.

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II. Job Announcement

34. Job Announcement

Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation (“OFFICE COORDINATOR”, 2005-04-28) The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, a non-profit that advances understanding and cooperation in US-Asia relations, is seeking an office coordinator for its small, collegial D.C. office. The office coordinator has responsibilities in four areas: office administration, website management, biannual board meeting support, and logistical support for Foundation programs. Competitive candidates will have a bachelor’s degree, exceptional organization skills, experience working in an office environment, ability to handle multiple projects and tasks, and skills using Microsoft Office (including Access and Excel) and Dreamweaver. Familiarity with Congress and interest in Asia desirable. Must be a team player. Send cover letter and resume by May 6 to admin@mansfieldfdn.org.

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