Preceding NAPSNet Report

I. United States

1. Six Party Talks

Donga Ilbo (“U.S., NORTH KOREAN TOP NEGOTIATORS TO MEET IN BEIJING ON SEPTEMBER 11”, 2005-09-05) reported that the DPRK and US will resume the fourth round of the six party talks in the third week of September, and the two countries’ top negotiators will meet in Beijing on September 11 ahead of the talks. Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shimbun said that Christopher Hill and Kim Gye Gwan will decide the future direction of the six party talks at the meeting. The paper also reported, “One diplomatic source in Washington confirmed that the six party talks will resume in the third week and that arrangements are being made for the meeting between top negotiators.”

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2. US on Six Party Talks

International Herald Tribune (“N. KOREA IS WARNED OF U.S. IMPATIENCE”, 2005-09-05) reported that two members of the US Congress have warned Pyongyang that a US public traumatized by Hurricane Katrina is in no mood for any more lengthy negotiations over the DPRK’s nuclear program. The two House members, Tom Lantos and Jim Leach, said in Beijing on Saturday that they had urged DPRK officials to dispense with any belaboured negotiating tactics and quickly agree on a statement of shared principles when the six party talks resume later this month. “In view of Hurricane Katrina, the attention of the country will for quite some time shift to domestic issues,” Lantos said he had told DPRK officials. He said a “dilatory diplomatic performance” by the DPRK would anger the US public. “They should come back and, in short, reach agreement on principles,” Lantos said.

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3. DPRK on Six Party Talks

Reuters (“NORTH KOREA SAYS SOUTH RESPONSIBLE FOR TROUBLE AT TALKS”, 2005-09-04) reported that the DPRK criticized the ROK on Sunday for conducting annual war games with the US and said the two allies would be held responsible for problems that may affect six party talks. “Our army and the public once again experienced the duplicit nature of U.S. and South Korean authorities’ words and actions through (Ulchi Focus Lens) as they speak loudly about dialogue, peace and respect for sovereignty but waste no time to turn around and act in reverse,” said the KCNA.

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4. US on DPRK Nuclear Program

Reuters (“U.S. LAWMAKERS TELL NORTH KOREA TO END NUCLEAR CRISIS”, 2005-09-03) reported that US Congressmen Jim Leach and Tom Lantos told DPRK officials that the clock was ticking to find an amicable resolution to the crisis over its nuclear ambitions. If the current round of six party talks fails to bring results, the US has said it may refer the issue to the UN Security Council. The DPRK says sanctions would be tantamount to a declaration of war. A light-water nuclear reactor was the major sticking point of the talks, said Leach. Both Leach and Lantos urged DPRK officials to improve human rights and crack down on counterfeiting of foreign currencies.

(return to top) The Korea Herald (“CONGRESSMAN SAYS ‘TRUST’ KEY TO N.K. TALKS”, 2005-09-05) reported that, according to Congressman James Leach, the US Congress was generally “concerned” about the trust issue when it came to the DPRK’s demand for the right to develop nuclear energy for peaceful purposes. Chief DPRK negotiator Kim Kye-gwan “made it clear the North Koreans do hold very strongly that they ought to have the right to a light water reactor,” Leach said. In a separate interview, Congressman Tom Lantos was quoted as saying that the two congressmen relayed Washington’s strong objection to the DPRK’s right to peaceful use of nuclear energy. Leach also added that the DPRK appeared to remain committed to returning to the negotiating table next week. (return to top)

5. ROK on DPRK Nuclear Program

The Korea Herald (“FIVE NATIONS WANT N.K. TO DISARM: BAN”, 2005-09-02) reported that ROK Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon notched-up pressure against Pyongyang by stating that the other five countries involved in the six party talks would like to see the DPRK dismantle and eliminate all nuclear weapons and programs. “North Korea should make it quite clear that they will dismantle all nuclear weapons and nuclear programs,” Ban said. Ban reiterated that the DPRK could earn the right for civilian nuclear use if it returns to the Nonproliferation Treaty and abide by all the safeguard measures of the International Atomic Energy Agency in a transparent manner.

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6. DPRK on Nuclear Program

Yonhap News (“PYONGYANG WILL NEVER GIVE UP PEACEFUL NUCLEAR PROGRAM: N.K. PAPER”, 2005-09-06) reported that, according to the Rodong Sinmun, the DPRK will never abandon its right to run a nuclear program to generate energy. “We will continue to actively operate a peaceful nuclear program for the sake of building up the economy and improving the people’s lives,” the DPRK newspaper said on Tuesday.

(return to top) Kyodo News (“N. KOREA WANTS 6-WAY TALKS TO ADDRESS BUILDING LIGHT-WATER REACTORS”, 2005-09-02) reported that the DPRK has demanded that the final document for the six party talks call for the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) to resume building two light-water nuclear reactors, negotiation sources said Friday. If the other parties do not agree, the DPRK would continue operating its 5,000-megawatt experimental graphite-moderated reactor in Yongbyon, which can produce weapons-grade nuclear material more easily than light-water reactors. Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Kye Gwan made the demand to PRC Deputy Foreign Minister Wu Dawei when Wu visited Pyongyang in late August, the sources said. (return to top)

7. DPRK-US Relations

Reuters (“NORTH KOREA’S RED CROSS SENDS RARE SYMPATHY TO U.S.”, 2005-09-03) reported that the DPRK’s Red Cross Society sent a rare message of sympathy to the hurricane-ravaged US on Saturday. “In the message, the society expressed sympathy with the USA Red Cross in connection with the great disaster suffered by those areas due to the hurricane,” reported the KCNA. There was no mention of an offer of recovery assistance from the DPRK.

(return to top) Reuters (“U.S CONGRESS CAN SUPPORT N. KOREA POLICY CHANGES”, 2005-09-04) reported that according to US Congressmen Jim Leach, the Bush administration can find support in Congress for major US policy changes toward the DPRK if a deal is struck on dismantling Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program. Leach said it was in Pyongyang’s interest to strike a deal now because of the special relations the Republican-controlled Congress has with President Bush. Leach did not mention any specific measures, but Congressional approval would be necessary for certain demands from the DPRK, such as establishing diplomatic ties, striking a peace treaty to formally end the 1950-53 Korean War and dispatching US economic aid. (return to top)

8. DPRK-Japan Relations

Yonhap News (“NO TIES WITH N.K. UNLESS ABDUCTEE, NUCLEAR ISSUES RESOLVED: ENVOY”, 2005-09-03) reported that Tokyo will push for normalization of its relationship with Pyongyang only after the issues of the DPRK’s abductions, missiles and nuclear weapons are comprehensively resolved, Japan’s top envoy in Seoul said Saturday. He also said the DPRK should not just declare its decision to abandon the nuclear program but undergo thorough inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency for a solution to the nuclear crisis.

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9. DPRK-Japan Bilateral Talks

Yonhap News (“N. KOREA ASKS JAPAN TO HOLD TALKS ON KIDNAPPING ISSUE”, 2005-09-02) reported that the DPRK has recently proposed that it hold talks with Japan to deal with a number of bilateral issues, including the Cold War-era abduction of Japanese citizens by DPRK agents, a source said Friday. The source, who is close to the Japanese intelligence community, also said that unlike in the past when the DPRK’s Worker’s Party and Foreign Ministry handled the bilateral talks, its military is assuming a greater role in the negotiations.

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10. DPRK-Russian Relations

RIA Novosti (“MOSCOW PATRIARCH PRAISES NORTH KOREA FOR ORTHODOX CHURCH IN PYONGYANG”, 2005-09-06) reported that the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Alexiy II believes construction of a new orthodox church in Pyongyang would make ties between Russia and the DPRK closer. The patriarch praised DPRK leader Kim Jong-il and the DPRK’s Orthodox Committee for construction of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Pyongyang. The patriarch said Russia’s Orthodox Church was prepared to teach Korean seminary students in Russia.

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11. Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation

The Korea Times (“KAESONG BRANDS TO HIT CLOTHES RACKS”, 2005-09-05) reported that the Kaesong Industrial Complex in the DPRK will be producing clothing for brands developed by around 30 clothing manufacturers and distributors of the Tongdaemun markets, the Korea Federation of Small and Medium Business (KFSB) said Monday. “They are developing brands for clothing products and marketing them in South Korea through the Namdaemun and Tongdaemun markets,” KFSB official Park Kun-kyu said. Park went on to say the project was designed to maintain the price competitiveness of Korean clothing over cheap PRC products, which have been flooding traditional markets as well.

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12. DPRK on ROK-Japan Treaty

Yonhap News (“N. KOREA DEMANDS NULLIFICATION OF 1965 S. KOREA-JAPAN TREATY”, 2005-09-03) reported that the DPRK said Saturday that the 1965 normalization treaty between the ROK and Japan should be nullified. ”The South Korea-Japan ‘agreements’ concluded in the 1960s are treacherous and disgraceful documents,” the KCNA quoted an unidentified spokesman from the Central Committee of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland as saying. This is the first time that the DPRK has reacted to the ROK’s declassification of documents related to the normalization treaty on August 26.

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13. DPRK Responsibility in ROK Floods

Joongang Ilbo (“NORTH’S DAMS BLAMED FOR IMJIN FLOODS”, 2005-09-05) reported that the DPRK had opened the floodgates on one or more dams on the Imjin River, which triggered damage to fishing gear and riverside property in the ROK. Residents of northern Gyeonggi province contended with rapidly rising waters over the weekend. Due to the surging waters, fishing nets and traps belonging to about 100 area fishermen were swept away. Tourists along the riverbanks were forced to flee and two vehicles parked near the river were flooded. The rise in water level at the Imjin Bridge, which went from 83 centimeters to 2.51 meters in three hours, was not explainable by natural causes, a Yeoncheon county government official said. Yeoncheon county and Paju city government officials say they have tallied about 200 million won in losses so far.

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14. DPRK Economic Development

Yonhap News (“N. KOREA CLAIMS LEAP IN INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT SINCE 1995”, 2005-09-03) reported that the DPRK argued Saturday that it has made a big advance in various sectors ranging from electricity to farming since it adopted the “military first” policy two decades ago. “For the past 10 years, the country has seen a great advance in industrial development,” the Korean Central Television Broadcasting Station said. “The hydroelectricity capacity more than doubled compared with 1995.” “Small and large fishing farms were created, and so the total size of fishing increased more than five times compared with five years ago and the production of fish farms rose more than seven times,” the broadcaster said.

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15. DPRK Economic Disparity

Chosun Ilbo (“GAP BETWEEN RICH AND POOR IN NORTH KOREA GROWING”, 2005-09-02) reported that the gap between rich and poor in the DPRK has been growing since the country started economic reforms in 2002. Most of those working in industrial production subsist below the minimum level, and tens of thousands of industrial workers in towns like Hamhung or Kimchaek are losing their jobs. Among those able to work, 30% are unemployed, and 70% of the population receives 250-380 grams of food a day, or about half the necessary daily intake of nutrients, from state-run food distribution centers. The DPRK as a whole is experiencing 130% inflation but poverty is no longer shared equally. According to the WFP’s DPRK Director Richard Ragan, the wealthy are concentrated in five cities, including Pyongyang.

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16. DPRK Food Aid

Reuters (“REPORT SAYS N. KOREA ABUSES INTERNATIONAL FOOD AID”, 2005-09-01) reported that, according to a US human rights group, the DPRK is abusing international food aid while cutting back on its own imports of food and diverting funds elsewhere, including the military. The US Committee for Human Rights in the DPRK accused Pyongyang of hindering aid efforts by both foreign governments and NGOs to reach those most in need in the country. Evidence from refugees and others, pointed to a need for better monitoring of food aid, much of which comes from the WFP. Countries supplying less conditional aid, such as the PRC and ROK, have been urged by the group to channel food via the WFP.

(return to top) Chosun Ilbo (“S. KOREA MUST STOP DIRECT FOOD AID TO NORTH : ACTIVISTS”, 2005-09-02) reported that the US Committee for Human Rights says the ROK must stop direct food aid to the DPRK because it is going astray and hampering attempts by the international community to ensure aid goes to those who most need it. Two committee members, Stephen Haggard and Marcus Noland, said all future food aid from Seoul must go through the WFP. According to the US human rights group, the ROK currently provides 50% of the food shortfall in the DPRK but has been negligent in setting up mechanisms that ensure transparent distribution. The groups says continued aid provided in concert with the WFP must be accompanied by a united front pressuring Pyongyang to clean up its act and improve the human rights of its citizens. (return to top)

17. DPRK Food Shortage

Reuters (“NORTH KOREA’S FOOD SHORTAGES EASE, SAYS AID AGENCY”, 2005-09-05) reported that foreign aid and a good harvest of food staples, such as potatoes and wheat, have helped ease the DPRK’s severe food shortage, but aid is still needed, the WFP said in a report. Conditions have eased as the DPRK has brought in parts of its harvest and significant amounts of rice aid from the ROK have also arrived in the country. The UN agency has said the food shortage is not as severe as one in the mid-1990s, but the WFP still needs donations or it would not be able to provide food to many of the DPRK’s children, pregnant women, urban poor, and elderly. The WFP aims to feed about 6.5 million of the DPRK’s 22.5 million population.

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18. DPRK Refugees in US

Chosun Ilbo (“N. KOREANS, BURMESE REFUGEES TO GET PRIORITY IN U.S.”, 2005-09-05) reported that the US has added the DPRK and Burma to the list of nations covered by “Priority 3,” meaning that nationals from those countries with family members in the US would be given priority screening when immigration determines whether to accept them as refugees. The US government recently revealed this in a plan on refugee acceptance in the 2006 fiscal year submitted to the US Congress in accordance with the US immigration and nationality law. Defectors already resettled in third countries like the ROK are excluded from possible refugee status.

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19. DPRK Travel Permits

The Korea Times (“N. KOREA UPGRADES TRAVEL PERMITS”, 2005-09-06) reported that the DPRK has introduced a new “high-tech” travel permit for citizens travelling abroad in an apparent bid to prevent forgery by would-be defectors. NK Auction, an Internet site dealing in DPRK-related products, unveiled Tuesday the new type of passport with a scanned photograph and typed personal details. The new travel pass was introduced as a follow-up measure to Pyongyang’s computerization of its identification system of civilians and soldiers. The steps are intended to tighten state control over its people.

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20. ROK Military Reform

Chosun Ilbo (“MILITARY TO BE STREAMLINED BY 2020”, 2005-09-06) reported that the ROK’s military is to become a leaner, fitter fighting machine in the next 15 years. By 2020, the Army’s 13 corps could be reduced to six, its 47 division cut by about 20, and total troop strength reduced from 680,000 to about 500,000. The forces could put more emphasis on volunteers for special forces while paying salaries to soldiers who wish to stay on once they have completed their mandatory military service.

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21. ROK Reinvestigation of Military Incidents

Chosun Ilbo (“DEFENSE MINISTRY TO REVIEW GWANGJU, 1979 COUP”, 2005-09-06) reported that the Defense Ministry will reinvestigate eight dark episodes in the ROK military’s recent history from the Park Chung-hee, Chun Doo-hwan and Roh Tae-woo eras. They include Chun’s Dec. 12, 1979 putsch, the bloody suppression of the Gwangju democratic uprising on May 18, 1980 and a 1971 revolt by a crack team abandoned in training on Shilmi Island.

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22. ROK on Asian Economic Bloc

The Korea Times (“ROH WANTS APEC TO BECOME BLOC”, 2005-09-06) reported that President Roh Moo-hyun Tuesday stressed the need for Asian and Pacific Rim countries to pursue economic integration like that of the European Union (EU) and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). In a speech at the annual gathering of the Pacific Economic Cooperation Conference (PECC) at COEX in southern Seoul, he said it would be more effective on a long-term basis to build a regional economic bloc, rather than to continue signing bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs).

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23. PRC on WWII Anniversary

The Associated Press (“CHINA OBSERVES DATE OF JAPAN’S SURRENDER”, 2005-09-03) reported that the PRC commemorated the 60th anniversary of Japan’s World War II defeat on Saturday, saying “the just had prevailed against the evil” back then but denying any military ambitions today. President Hu Jintao used the occasion to emphasize that the PRC’s economic and military power is not directed against Japan or the US, despite a budding rivalry with both countries.

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24. Sino-Russian Military Cooperation

Reuters (“RUSSIA, CHINA TO EXPAND MILITARY COOPERATION”, 2005-09-06) reported that Russia and the PRC will expand military cooperation after ground-breaking war games last month, but will not seal a formal alliance into a military block, Russian Defence Minister Sergei Ivanov said on Tuesday. Both countries stressed the joint exercises, which featured 10,000 troops, did not challenge the US-dominated Asian security system but observers say they reflected growing PRC determination to increase its clout.

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25. PRC on Cross Strait Relations

Reuters (“CHINA SAYS COMMITTED TO PEACE BUT WARNS TAIWAN “, 2005-09-06) reported that the PRC warned self-ruled Taiwan — which Beijing claims as its own — against declaring statehood. Hu warned Taiwan’s incumbent leaders against formally declaring the island independent, but stopped short of repeating a longstanding invasion threat.

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26. PRC-US Relations

The Associated Press (“CHINESE PRESIDENT HU POSTPONES U.S. TRIP “, 2005-09-06) reported that PRC President Hu Jintao on Saturday postponed his official visit to Washington next week due to Hurricane Katrina, but he and President Bush planned to meet on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly later this month. Hu talked Saturday with Bush and the two leaders agreed to the postponement “due to the special condition faced with the U.S. government in handling with the serious disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina,” the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

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27. EU on PRC Arms Ban

Agence France-Presse (“SOLANA SAYS LIFTING OF CHINA ARMS EMBARGO ON LONG-TERM AGENDA”, 2005-09-06) reported that Europe’s foreign policy chief Javier Solana said that Brussel’s long-term arms embargo on the PRC will remain in place, but in time would be lifted. “Both sides are looking for the right time — this an agreement which is part of yesterday and not part of tomorrow,” he said at press briefing in Shanghai after attending the EU-China summit in Beijing.

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28. Sino-UK Relations

Agence France-Presse (“BLAIR SENSES SEA CHANGE IN WAY CHINA IS ENGAGING WITH THE WORLD”, 2005-09-06) reported that British Prime Minister Tony Blair has said he sensed a sea change in the way the PRC is engaging with the world, praising its openness and frankness in lengthy talks with counterpart Wen Jiabao. Blair held eight hours of discussions with Wen over the course of his two-day stay and said he noticed subtle differences from previous visits.

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29. UN on PRC Human Rights

The New York Times (“U.N. OFFICIAL URGES CHINA TO DEEPEN COMMITMENT TO RIGHTS”, 2005-09-06) reported that the PRC must tie its economic growth to faster improvements in the legal and political rights of its citizens, the United Nations high commissioner for human rights, Louise Arbour, said here on Friday. PRC officials said “change had to be gradual,” she noted. “While I do not disagree, I believe the stage is set for expecting more than modest progress in the coming years.”

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30. PRC Separatist Attacks

The Associated Press (“SEPARATISTS SAID CARRY OUT CHINA ATTACKS”, 2005-09-06) reported that Muslim separatists in western PRC have carried out 260 attacks in the past decade, killing 160 people and injuring 440, state media reported Tuesday in a rare disclosure. The figures from Zhao Yongchen, a top anti-terrorism official, are among the few specifics ever given by the PRC about its campaign to rid the western Xinjiang region of separatists fighting for an independent state of “East Turkistan.”

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31. PRC Renewable Energy

Reuters (“CHINA MULLS RAISING RENEWABLE ENERGY COMMITMENT”, 2005-09-06) reported that the PRC, the world’s second-largest oil consumer, may boost its long-term commitment to renewable energy use by 50 percent, a top policy maker said on Monday. Beijing currently aims to get one-tenth of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, and this year passed a law forcing power suppliers to buy more electricity from plants that do not burn fossil fuels.

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