In today’s Report:
2. DPRK Famine Situation
3. ROK Food Aid to DPRK
4. US-ROK-Japan Meeting on DPRK Issues
III. People’s Republic of China
2. PRC-US Relations
3. PRC-Japan Relations
4. Japan-Australian Partnership
5. US-Japan Military Cooperation
I. United States
The AP-Dow Jones News Service (“U.S. OPTIMISTIC ABOUT KOREA PEACE TALKS,” Tokyo, 5/8/97) reported that a US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the US is optimistic that the DPRK will soon accept the four-party peace talks proposal, in order to bring both lasting peace to the Korean Peninsula and emergency food aid to its people. The ROK has said large-scale aid will follow commencement of peace efforts, but the DPRK is seeking a commitment to food aid prior to joining the peace talks. Last month, the DPRK backed out of the proposed peace talks, in part due to differences over the timing of food aid. Experts have said the DPRK is on the brink of famine after two years of flooding that has devastated farmlands.
The AP-Dow Jones News Service (“U.S., N. KOREA ARE ON TRACK TO REACH MIA AGREEMENT BY FRIDAY,” Tokyo, 5/7/97) reported that Larry Greer, spokesman for the US Defense Department’s office for prisoners of war and soldiers missing in action, said Wednesday that the US and the DPRK are on track to reach an agreement on accounting for US soldiers captured or killed during the 1950-53 Korean War. Delegates from the two countries are aiming to reach agreements on tracing individuals who went missing during the war, the return of remains of US soldiers who died there, and access for US researchers to DPRK military archives. “We’