Archives

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

I. United States

1. ROK Attacks DPRK on Accepting Taiwan Nuclear Waste

The Associated Press (“S. KOREA FAULTS NORTH ON WASTE,” Seoul, 01/15/97) reported that on Wednesday the ROK demanded that the DPRK call off plans to store nuclear waste from Taiwan. “North Korea should immediately stop taking in nuclear waste,” the ROK Unification Ministry said, claiming that the plan would turn the Korean peninsula into a nuclear waste dump. The Taiwan Power Company signed a contract Saturday to transport sixty thousand barrels of nuclear waste to the DPRK over the next two years. The state-run company said the waste is only slightly radioactive.

2. Former ROK Sex Slaves Protest Japan’s Inaction

The Associated Press (“FORMER SEX SLAVES TARGET JAPAN,” Seoul, 01/15/97) reported that on Wednesday ROK women who had been forced to be sex slaves for Japanese soldiers during World War II demonstrated outside the Japanese Embassy, pelting it with eggs and demanding that Tokyo apologize for its wartime crimes. The arrival of Japanese Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda in Seoul earlier in the day for talks prior to a January 25-26 summit occasioned the protest. Riot police were deployed in front of the main gate to prevent anyone from entering the compound. The protesters, members of the Korea Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery, also delivered a protest letter to the embassy. The protesters were among many in the ROK

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

IV. Russian Federation

I. United States

1. Four-Party Peace Talks Briefing

US State Department Spokesman Nicholas Burns (“STATE DEPT. NOON BRIEFING, JANUARY 13,” USIA Transcript, 01/14/97) would not confirm reports from the ROK that the agreed briefing of the DPRK on the Four-Party Peace Talks Proposal has been scheduled for January 29 in New York. Burns said, “I know that there was a meeting Saturday in New York between State Department diplomats and North Korean officials from the North Korean mission to the United Nations. They did talk about the briefing on the Four-Party Talks, but they have not yet arrived at an agreement on the date or the venue for that meeting, and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to work that out very soon. When we do have an agreement, I’ll be glad to announce it.”

2. ROK Strikes

Reuters (“S. KOREAN STRIKES FIZZLE AS WORKERS RETREAT,” Seoul, 01/14/97) reported that participation in Tuesday’s scheduled collective strike in protest of new anti-labor legislation, anticipated to be the largest in ROK history, was falling short of expectations. Numerous white-collar workers j

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

III. Announcement: Abolition 2000 Movement To Meet In Tahiti

I. United States

1. US-DPRK Relations

US State Department Spokesman Nicholas Burns (STATE DEPT. NOON BRIEFING, JAN. 10,” USIA Transcript, 01/13/97) stated that US and DPRK representatives met in New York on Friday but that no date or venue for the upcoming briefing on the proposed four-party peace talks had yet been set. “Arrangements for the upcoming joint briefing on the Four-Party Talks are under discussion, and I think the joint briefing will probably be held towards the end of this month towards the end of January. What we need to work out with the North Koreans is where that will take place, who will attend and the specific date. We don’t have that worked out yet,” Burns said. In response to questions as to the causes and implications of the delay, Burns said, “I think we feel reasonably confident, following the gesture made by North Korea nearly two weeks ago, that the decision has been made by the North Koreans that they will participate in a joint briefing. The only question is modalities. Sometimes that takes a while to work out logistics.”

2. DPRK To Accept Taiwan Nuclear Wa

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

I. United States

1. ROK Strikes

Reuters (“KOREA COURT ISSUES WARRANTS FOR STRIKE LEADER,” Seoul, 01/10/97) reported that a ROK court on Friday issued arrest warrants for seven strike leaders, ignoring unions’ threats of all-out strikes and rebuffing international appeals. Korean Confederation of Trade Unions president Kwon Young-kil and six deputies were reported to have taken refuge in the Myongdong Cathedral in Seoul, sheltering inside a ramshackle tent and enduring freezing conditions. They have warned that any attempt to seize them will trigger nationwide work stoppages, including a public sector shutdown. “If any of the seven, including myself, are arrested, we have orders to start intensive strikes immediately,” Kwon told a news conference before the warrants were issued. Myongdong church official Chang Bok-pil urged government and union leaders to compromise, saying “democracy is the result of talks and cooperation.” However, he admitted that there was nothing the clergy could do if police decided to violate sacred ground and arrest the seven in their tent pitched beneath a statue of the Virgin Mary.

The Associated Press (“S. KOREA WORK