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In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Russian Federation

I. United States

1. DPRK UN Ambassador’s Illness

The New York Times (Barbara Corssette, “KOREAN-AMERICANS ASSIST AILING ENVOY FROM NORTH,” United Nations, 9/3/97) reported that the DPRK representative to the United Nations, Kim Hyong-u, who has been hospitalized in New York since August 12 without medical insurance or financial help from the DPRK, has received pledges of aid from Korean-Americans of varying political views who apparently fear that he might be recalled by Pyongyang and sent home without treatment. Korean-American newspapers first reported last Friday that Kim, 62, whom they described as a diabetic, had developed lung problems and had been admitted to New York University Medical Center in Manhattan with the help of a Korean-American clergyman and Korean-speaking US doctors. The Korea Times, a Korean-language paper published in New York, reported that there were also rumors Kim was on the point of defection and being watched closely by the DPRK government. The Korean Central Daily, another New York Korean-language paper, reported that Kim faced medical bills that could range as high as US$40,000 to US$50,000. The DPRK reportedly has no hard currency to support its missions abroad, and its diplomats do not have health insurance.

The Associated Press (“REPORT: N.KOREA FEARS NEW DEFECTION,” United Nations, 9/3/97) reported that, according to the Korea Times and the Korean Central Daily News in New York, the DPRK government is worried that Kim Hyong-u, the DPRK UN ambassador, may try to defect to the US if he is recalled home to undergo lung surgery. The Korean-language Korea Times reported that the DPRK wants to bring Kim home for the surgery, where treatment would be less expensive, but is concerned that if it does so, Kim will defect so he can receive the better medical care available in the US. Lynn O’Dell, spokeswoman for the New York University Medical Center, confirmed that Kim was at the hospital and said he was undergoing tests, but declined to elaborate. A diplomat at the DPRK mission, who would not identify himself, told a reporter Wednesday, “It’s not your concern,” and declined further comment. Kim has been the DPRK’s UN ambassador since July 1996.

2. ROK Defector to DPRK Awarded

The Associated Press (“NKOREA GIVES AWARD TO DEFECTOR,” Seoul, 9/2/97) reported that the DPRK’s official Korean Central News Agency said Tuesday that the DPRK has awarded its highest honor, the “order of the national flag first class,” to Oh Ik-jae, the ROK religious leader who defected last month. Oh, 68, was former head of the indigenous religious group Chondokyo, and had also served as adviser to the ROK’s largest opposition political party and was a member of a presidential advisory group, but was not a well-known leader in the ROK. The ROK’s intelligence agency has said that Oh was a spy, but offered no proof.

3. US Defends Korean Landmines

The Associated Press (Susanne M. Schafer

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

I. United States

1. Chang Defection — US Government Statements

US State Department spokesman Jamie Rubin (“SPECIAL STATE DEPARTMENT BRIEFING, AUGUST 26,” USIA Transcript, 8/26/97) held a special briefing on Tuesday, August 26, confirming that Chang Sung-kil, the DPRK Ambassador to Egypt, had defected and arrived in the US along with his wife and his brother, Chang Sung-ho, a diplomat with the DPRK trade mission in Paris, France. Rubin also confirmed that the US will provide asylum to all three individuals. Rubin refused to comment on whether the US had had contact with either Chang prior to their defections, and declined to give details about the circumstances of the defections or the exact locations of the defectors. Rubin asserted that the defections were unlikely to affect either the ongoing missile proliferation talks or the four-party peace talks. Rubin also said that the defections do not indicate that the DPRK power structure is crumbling. “We do not believe that this action is a manifestation of any crisis in the leadership of any kind,” Rubin said. He acknowledged, however, that “We obviously believe that the country is in deep trouble” due to severe food shortages, and noted “the risks of instability in the peninsula with regard to the North Korean troop deployment.” [Ed. note: The full transcript of this briefing is being distributed as a subsequent Special Report.]

US State Department spokesman Jamie Rubin (“STATE DEPT. NOON BRIEFING, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 27,” USIA Transcript, 8/27/97) stated that the US is unlikely to meet DPRK demands to return Chang Sung-kil and Chang Sung-ho, the two high-ranking DPRK diplomats who defected to the US earlier in the week, noting that the US and the DPRK have no extradition agreement. Rubin corrected his earlier announcement that the two, along with Chang Sung-kil’s wife, had been granted asylum, explaining that the three are in the US under a “parole” or “protected status,” the first step under US law for granting formal asylum. Rubin confirmed that DPRK officials had backed out of the missile proliferation talks that had been set to begin August 27 in New York City, adding that, while the officials gave no reason for calling off the talks, their decision is “obviously connected” to the defection of Chang Sung-kil, who is said to be knowledgeable about DPRK missile sales to the Middle East. Rubin called the DPRK decision not to attend the missile talks “disappointing,” adding, “We believe that these talks are in the national interests of both sides.” Rubin reiterated that the defections at this time are not expected to interfere with the four-party peace talks preliminary meeting set for the week of September 15. [Ed. note: The relevant transcript excerpt from this briefing is being distributed as a subsequent Special Report.]

US White House Deputy Press Secretary Barry Toiv (“WHITE HOUSE DAILY BRIEFING, AUGUST 27,” USIA Transcript, 8/27/97) stated that US President Bill Clinton had been kept fully informe

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

III. Russian Federation

I. United States

1. DPRK Ambassador Defects

The Associated Press (“N. KOREAN AMBASSADOR DEFECTS,” Cairo, Egypt, 8/25/97) reported that Chang Sung-gil, DPRK ambassador to Egypt, reportedly has defected to the US. An Egyptian government official said, on customary condition of anonymity, that Chang, 48, sought political asylum at the US Embassy in Cairo, and was flown out of Egypt Monday afternoon under a different name and carrying a US travel document. The official said Chang would appear at a news conference Tuesday in Washington. Egyptian foreign ministry official Said Ragab said the DPRK reported Chang missing Saturday and asked it to investigate, but that searches of hospitals and departure records at airports and seaports turned up no trace of the ambassador. “If he has left Egypt, he left under another name,” Ragab said. Earlier, DPRK Embassy officials denied the defection but gave conflicting reports on the ambassador’s whereabouts, while US Embassy officials in Cairo would not comment. Meanwhile, Egypt’s official Middle East News Agency said Chang will be tried in the DPRK on charges of “escaping” and abandoning his duties. Other media reports said the ambassador’s brother, Chang Sung-ho, the DPRK’s trade representative in Paris, has also disappeared. The defection would be the first by a top diplomat from the DPRK. Cairo is a major DPRK diplomatic outpost, and Chang could be a valuable source of information about Pyongyang’s alleged Scud missile sales to Iran, Syria and other Middle East countries.

Reuters (“NORTH KOREAN ENVOY TO EGYPT DEFECTS TO WEST,” Seoul, 8/25/97) reported that unnamed ROK officials said Monday that Chang Sung-gil, DPRK ambassador to Egypt, is seeking to defect to a Western country and has left Egypt under protection in a third country, which they declined to identify. The Chosun Ilbo daily, quoting a government source, said Chang sought asylum Friday in the US embassy in Cairo and that Washington told Seoul Sunday it had decided to grant the request. The ROK officials said Chang’s brother, Chang Sung-ho, another diplomat based in Paris, had also left for a third country with his family to seek asylum. “The two cases seem to be related,” ROK foreign ministry spokesman Lee Kyu-hyung was quoted as saying. A statement by the ROK’s ruling New Korea Party said the defections meant the North faced “a crisis of collapse.” “The government should hurriedly work out various measures to cope with a sudden collapse of the North Korean system,” it said. Chang, one of the DPRK’s most senior envoys, was due to return home next month at the end of a three-year assignment.

US State Department spokesman Jamie Rubin (“STATE DEPARTMENT BRIEFING, AUGUST 25,” USIA Transcript, 8/25/97), asked to comment on the reported defection of Chang Sung-gil, DPRK ambassador to Egypt, replied, “I have nothing for you on that.” Asked if the US had received a request from Chang for political asylum, Rubin replied, “I have nothing for you on that.” Asked to explain why he had no comment, Rubin said, “I’m disinclined to get into it.” Asked whether or not he was denying the report, Rubin said, “I’m not getting into it.”

2. ROK Food Aid to DPRK

The Associated Press (“S. KOREA TO SEND FOOD TO N. KOREA,” Seoul,

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

I. United States

1. ROK Food Aid to DPRK

Reuters (“S. KOREA PLANS MORE FOOD AID FOR NORTH,” Seoul, 8/22/97) reported that a senior ROK National Unification Ministry official, who asked not to be identified, said Friday that the ROK plans to send millions of dollars worth of new food aid to the DPRK. “The government has decided to provide additional food aid to North Korea after considering various factors, including the food situation in the North, South-North relations and the international community’s aid activities,” the ministry official said. “We are now talking to international aid organizations for new aid to North Korea in addition to US$16 million we have promised so far this year,” the official said. Asked about a local media report that the new amount would be US$10 million, the official replied: “No exact amount has yet been decided but the aid will be worth at least several million dollars.” The ROK has provided US$257 million worth of food to the DPRK since 1995, when devastating floods aggravated food shortages. However, the ROK has ruled out large-scale assistance until the DPRK agrees to discuss measures to reduce long-standing tensions on the Korean peninsula. In reference to the groundbreaking for the KEDO nuclear reactor project earlier in the week, the official said, “I would not say the fresh food aid is directly related to the nuclear project or four-nation talks but we hope this will help contribute to building up better relations with the North.” Lee Hoi-chang, chairman of the ruling New Korea Party, told reporters on Friday, “The ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of light-water nuclear reactors … demonstrates the possibilities for inter-Korean cooperation.” “For a truly successful strategy of diplomatic engagement with the North, we must continue to work with the United States and other countries surrounding Korea to forge a common understanding of our policy and principle,” said Lee, who will run in presidential elections in December.

2. DPRK-Japan Relations

Reuters (“BREAKTHROUGH SEEN IN JAPAN-N.KOREA TALKS-REPORT,” Tokyo, 8/22/97) reported that the Kyodo news agency reported that Japanese and DPRK negotiators reached agreement in two key areas in talks Friday in Beijing aimed at reviving the long-stalled process of normalizing diplomatic relations. The two sides agreed to upgrade normalization talks to ambassadorial level, and the DPRK agreed that between 10-20 Japanese women living in the DPRK would be allowed to make home visits next month, Kyodo quoted unnamed officials as saying. Foreign Ministry officials in Tokyo refused to comment on the report or say whether such an announcement would be made.

II. Republic of Korea

1. ROK Food Aid to DPRK

The ROK government was set to announce plans for US$10 million additional food aid to the DPRK on August 22. A ROK government official said Thursday, “We have de

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

III. Japan

I. United States

1. DPRK Food Aid Monitoring

Reuters (“N. KOREA SAYS IT ALLOWS MONITORING OF FOOD AID,” Tokyo, 8/21/97) reported that the DPRK state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday denied accusations that it refuses to allow monitoring of food aid from the international community. The DPRK statement said, “We are grateful for their assistance and have shown sincerity in ensuring monitoring of the distribution. This is an undeniable fact the international community has admitted.” The statement added that the accusations originated in the ROK and were “despicable false propaganda aimed at halting food assistance.” Last week, members of the US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence returning from the DPRK said they believed some foreign food aid might have been diverted to the DPRK military, and that they would seek measures to ensure future US aid to the DPRK would go directly to hunger-stricken people. [Ed. note: See “US Congressional Representatives Visit to DPRK” in the August 13 Daily Report.]

2. DPRK Famine Conditions

Reuters (“N.KOREA SEEN FACING FURTHER FOOD SHORTAGE,” Seoul, 8/21/97) reported that the ROK Unification Ministry said on Thursday that it expects the DPRK to face more continuing famine conditions in 1998 because the drought this year will seriously affect its crops. A ministry statement estimated that the DPRK will fall 2.6 million tons short of the 5.5 million tons of grain it will require next year, an increase from the two million ton shortfall this year. The DPRK lost 480,000 tons of grains last year due to flood damage. The DPRK’s own state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the bottoms of reservoirs were visible and thousands of rivers and streams had dried up.

3. Japan-DPRK Relations

The Associated Press (“JAPAN, N. KOREA TRY AGAIN IN TALKS,” Beijing, 8/21/97) reported that representatives from Japan and the DPRK met Thursday in Beijing in a renewed effort to establish diplomatic relations, a move that could lead to Japanese food aid. Tokyo and Pyongyang, whose last talks on relations ended in failure five years ago, are divided by highly emotional issues, including Korean anger at former colonial domination by Japan, the status of Japanese women living in the DPRK, and allegations that DPRK agents have kidnapped Japanese citizens in Japan.

United Press International (“JAPAN, N. KOREA OPEN TALKS IN BEIJING,” Beijing, 8/21/97) reported that the Japanese Embassy in Beijing said Thursday that the DPRK-Japan talks on normalizing relations began at the Pyongyang embassy Thursday morning and continued after a lunch break at the Tokyo mission.

The AP-DOW JONES NEWS SERVICE (“JAPAN OFFICIAL: MORE TALKS WITH N. KOREA POSSIBLE FRIDAY,” Beijing, 8/21/97) reported that a Japanese official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said late Thursday that DPRK and Japanese officials agreed to hold a second day of talks aimed at e

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

III. People’s Republic of China

I. United States

1. US Media on DPRK Reactors Groundbreaking

The New York Times (Nicholas D. Kristof, “CONSTRUCTION CEREMONY IN NORTH KOREA BREAKS MORE THAN GROUND,” Tokyo, 8/20/97, A10), The Washington Post (Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan, “N. KOREA INITIATES HUGE ENERGY PROJECT; VENTURE VIEWED AS AID TO STABILITY,” Tokyo, 8/20/97, A18), and The Washington Times (Willis Witter, “RELATIONS STILL ICY AS KOREAS LAUNCH REACTOR PROJECT,” Tokyo, 8/20/97) all carried reports on the groundbreaking ceremonies Tuesday inaugurating construction of two 1000-megawatt nuclear power plants in the DPRK, sponsored by the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) as part of implementation of the 1994 US-DPRK Agreed Framework. [Ed. note: See “KEDO Begins Construction of DPRK Reactors” in the August 19 Daily Report.]

The New York Times report noted that the project, which many critics had doubted would ever begin, “will lead to thousands of South Korean laborers, presumably well salted with spies, working within North Korea and sending mail and equipment and messages between two nations that technically remain at war.” Evincing the hopes that the project will produce more than energy, the report quoted Paul Cleveland, US representative to KEDO, as saying at the ceremony, “The work we celebrate today is on the cutting edge of future progress in the search for peace on this peninsula.” A senior ROK official in Seoul, interviewed by telephone, was quoted as saying, “I think the presence of a South Korean work force in North Korea will help bring about changes and openness in North Korea. I understand 5,000 South Korean workers will go to North Korea to implement this, and I think that’s an important first step in building inter-Korea exchanges.” The report added that DPRK representatives at the ceremony seemed unsure how to react to their ROK counterparts; “some North Koreans applauded the chief South Korean delegate, while others looked around for guidance.” The report also noted that reporters allowed to attend the ceremony in Kumho, on the DPRK’s east coast, said they saw no obvious sign of malnutrition and famine, and the fields seemed lush.

The Washington Post report noted the “broader importance” of the nuclear plant project, observing that international officials hope it “will make the reclusive Stalinist nation more economically stable, less of a military threat and more engaged with the outside world.” The report added that the project “has been a top priority of the governments in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo since North Korea agreed to it in 1994.” The report quoted DPRK diplomat Ho Jong as saying in a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony, “The nuclear issue … is a product of the Cold War that stems from the historical distrust and abnormal relations between [North Korea] and the U.S.,” and pledging that the DPRK would continue to honor the deal in order to “forge … future-oriented relations with the U.S. through reconciliation and cooperation.” W

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

I. United States

1. KEDO Begins Construction of DPRK Reactors

The Office of the White House Press Secretary (“WHITE HOUSE ON KEDO AND NORTH KOREA GROUNDBREAKING,” USIA Transcript, 8/19/97) on August 19 issued the following written statement: “KEDO and DPRK Groundbreaking. Today in North Korea, the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) and the DPRK held a groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction of the first of two light-water nuclear reactors to be built in North Korea under the terms of the 1994 U.S.-DPRK Agreed Framework. Ambassador Paul Cleveland, the U.S. Representative to KEDO’s Executive Board and Chairman of the Board, attended the ceremony and delivered a message from President Clinton. Groundbreaking for the light-water reactor project marks an important milestone in our efforts, in cooperation with the Republic of Korea and Japan, to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, contribute to peace and stability in Northeast Asia, and strengthen the international non-proliferation regime. It also occurs against a backdrop of significant progress in other areas of Agreed Framework implementation. North Korea continues to maintain the freeze on its nuclear facilities, under IAEA monitoring, and is nearing completion of a joint project with the United States to safely store its spent nuclear fuel, which would otherwise be available for the production of weapons-grade plutonium. Moreover, the Agreed Framework continues to provide a foundation for us to discuss issues of bilateral concern with the DPRK and, along with our South Korean and Japanese allies, to engage North Korea in meaningful dialogue and work toward a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

The Associated Press (“GROUND BROKEN ON KOREA NUKE PLANTS,” Kumho, DPRK, 8/19/97) and Reuters (“GROUND BROKEN IN N.KOREA FOR NUCLEAR PROJECT,” Kumho, DPRK, 8/19/97) reported that diplomats from nine nations and the European Union were among the 200 people at the ceremonial groundbreaking for construction of two 1,000-megawatt light-water nuclear reactors in the DPRK under the direction of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO). Ten KEDO officials, including KEDO director Stephen W. Bosworth, triggered a “symbolic blast” on a nearby hillside that sent puffs of pink, green, orange and yellow smoke into the air. Bosworth said Tuesday’s ceremony had political importance because it would help establish KEDO’s credibility. “This groundbreaking ceremony…marks the fulfillment of a promise — a promise made over two years ago by the Republic of Korea, Japan and the United States,” Bosworth said at the start of the ceremony. Chang Sun-sup, chief ROK representative for the project, stated, “As we are all aware, the light-water reactor project was initiated to help ensure the peace and security of a denuclearized and war-free Korean peninsula. It is the promising product of a concerted international effort to realize these ideals on the Korean peninsula.” However, t

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

I. United States

1. ROK Defector to DPRK

Reuters (“REPORT: DEFECTOR MAY HAVE SPIED FOR N. KOREA,” Seoul, 8/18/97) reported that ROK newspapers said Monday that Oh Ik-jae, the ROK religious leader whose defection to the DPRK was reported over the weekend, might have been a spy while serving on a presidential advisory group. Oh, 68, who headed the 130-year-old religious group Chondokyo in the ROK until 1995, served on the Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification, a ROK presidential advisory body. “The authorities suspect Oh worked as a North Korean spy in the South for some time,” said the Chosun Ilbo daily, which has had numerous scoops on DPRK-related issues in recent months. A senior police official, who asked not to be identified, was quoted by Reuters as saying he suspected Oh had maintained contacts with DPRK officials since 1993, when he met DPRK Chondokyo representatives in Beijing. An official at the advisory body said Oh’s term on the advisory body ended in June. The ROK intelligence agency and police investigating the defection of declined to comment on the newspaper reports. Oh, a founding member of the ROK main opposition National Congress for New Politics, arrived in Pyongyang on Friday for “permanent residence,” according to the DPRK’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). ROK state television broadcast DPRK TV footage showing Oh stepping out of a train at Pyongyang railway station. In an arrival statement, Oh hailed DPRK leader Kim Jong-il as a hero and rebuked the ROK government for pursuing policies hampering the reunification of the Korean peninsula. The police official said the DPRK might be seeking to make propaganda use of Oh to make up for the defection to the ROK earlier this year of Hwang Jang-yop, the highest-ranking DPRK official ever to flee that country. Hwang has said since that there are DPRK spies among high-ranking ROK officials.

The Associated Press (“S. KOREAN RELIGIOUS LEADER DEFECTS,” Seoul, 8/16/97) reported earlier that the ROK National Congress for New Politics, hoping to dispel any negative fallout from the defection of Oh Ik-jae to the DPRK, issued a statement saying that while Oh had served on the party’s advisory council for a brief period after the party was founded, he had not been an active member for months. “We will immediately launch an investigation into the matter and expel Oh from the party,” the statement said. The report also noted that Oh was head of the indigenous religion Chondokyo beginning in 1989. Chondokyo, established during the latter half of the 1800s, was a major force in fighting against Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea, but has diminished in popularity since and now has only about 50,000 followers.

2. DPRK Nuclear Fuel Canning Near Finished

The Associated Press (“MOST OF N. KOREA NUKE FUEL ENCASED,” Seoul, 8/17/97) reported that ROK Ministry of National Unification officials said Sunday that US experts have encased ninet

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Landmine Ban Colloquium Statement

I. United States

1. US Official on DPRK Famine, Food Aid

Reuters (“U.S. ENVOY: N. KOREA FOOD CRISIS WORSENS,” Tokyo, 8/15/97) reported that US ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson said Friday that the DPRK’s food crisis is getting worse and that the US has no evidence supporting reports that the DPRK government is diverting international aid to its military. Richardson, who made several visits to the DPRK prior to becoming UN ambassador earlier this year, also said the US was likely to respond to any further appeals for food aid to the DPRK by the UN World Food Program (WFP). The US already has provided US$52 million this year through the WFP to help stave off famine conditions. Commenting on assertions by members a US congressional delegation that during their DPRK visit they saw evidence of diversions of food aid to the military, Richardson said, “We right now, on the reports that food is being diverted to the military, are looking into the reports. We can’t verify them.” He said US food aid was targeted mainly at children under the age of six and “we believe it is getting to them.”

2. DPRK-Japan Relations

The Associated Press (“N. KOREA, JAPAN MAY ESTABLISH TIES,” Tokyo, 8/15/97) reported that the DPRK and Japan announced Friday that they will hold talks next Thursday in Beijing aimed at eventually establishing diplomatic relations. In Tokyo, Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda announced the agreement to hold the bilateral talks, which was confirmed by a statement on DPRK radio. The two countries never have had formal relations, and previously have scheduled eight rounds of normalization talks without success. The last round of talks was suspended in November 1992, when DPRK negotiators walked out in objection to Japanese demands for information on Megumi Yokota, thought to have been kidnapped by DPRK spies. Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto welcomed the chance to improve ties, stating, “There have been so many times that similar talks have been put off for one reason or another that I really look forward to their actually being carried out.” A warmer relationship could help the DPRK get more Japanese food aid to help ward off its looming famine. Japan provided US$5.2 million in food aid last year, but has refused to pledge any more.

3. ROK President Supports DPRK Peace Efforts

AP-Dow Jones News Service (“S.KOREA LAUDS PEACE EFFORTS, URGES BETTER TIES WITH NORTH,” Seoul, 8/15/97) reported that ROK President Kim Young-sam on Friday lauded recent peace efforts between the rival Koreas and renewed his offer of assistance if the DPRK were to improve ties. Kim said in a nationally broadcast speech commemorating the 52nd anniversary of Korean independence from Japanese colonial rule that last week’s four-party peace talks preliminary meeting provided “concrete steps for pea

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

I. United States

1. US Food Aid to DPRK

US State Department Spokesman James Rubin (“STATE DEPARTMENT BRIEFING, AUGUST 14,” USIA Transcript, 8/14/97) on Thursday responded to assertions by members of the US congressional delegation recently returned from the DPRK that food aid intended for the country’s starving population has been diverted to its military and political elite. [Ed. note: See “US Congressional Representatives Visit to DPRK” in the August 13 Daily Report.] Rubin stated: “We have no indication that there has been any significant diversion of the assistance we have provided. As far as we are able to judge, nearly all our assistance thus far has been directed at helping young children — particularly children under six. We believe the World Food Program, with experienced in-country staff, has been carefully monitoring the distribution of assistance. We believe that that assistance has gone to the right places. We of course are watching this very carefully and monitoring it very carefully.” Rubin added that he could not “get into, in this forum, exactly how we know what we know — especially in a place like North Korea. But I can say that our experts are confident that there is no significant diversion of the assistance we have provided.” Asked if the US delegation’s assertions would affect future US food aid to the DPRK, Rubin replied, “We’ll obviously talk to them and try to ascertain that they know something we don’t know, and act on it if that information proves to affect this judgment. But for now, our judgment is that … the assistance we provide to the World Food Program goes to the needy children and there is no significant diversion.” [Ed. note: See the related item in the ROK section, below.]

2. ROK Food Aid to DPRK

The Associated Press (“S. KOREA SENDS FOOD TO NORTH KOREA,” Seoul, 8/14/97) and reported that on Thursday the first shipment of the ROK’s pledge of 50,000 tons of food to the DPRK left by ship from Inchon. The shipment included 2,000 tons of flour, four tons of powdered milk and 70,200 gallons of cooking oil. More shipments will follow by ship as well as by rail via the PRC. The delivery of the 50,000 tons of food, mostly corn, is to be complete by the end of September. The food can feed 740,000 North Koreans, or about 3 percent of the population, before this year’s harvest in October, International Red Cross officials said. [Ed. note: See the related item in the ROK section, below.]

Reuters (“SEOUL CONCERNED ABOUT FOOD DISTRIBUTION IN N.KOREA,” Seoul, 8/14/97) reported that, following assertions by members of the US congressional delegation recently returned from the DPRK that food aid has been diverted to its military and political elite, Kang Ho-yang, spokesman of the National Unification Ministry, said in a statement issued Thursday, “The government cannot help but be worried about