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The Central Bureau of Statistics, Institute of Child Nutrition of the DPRK in collaboration with UNICEF and WFP, released this report on nutrition in the DPRK. The report states:” The most common source of staple foods was the PDC rations or Farmers rations, but a quarter of the households reported WFP foods as a source of their staple food. The most common sources of beans were farmer’s rations, self production, markets, kin support and WFP foods. The sources of fruits and vegetables were state shops, markets, self production and farmer’s rations. WFP foods were not a source of these foods.”

The Institute of Far Eastern Studies at Kyungnam University released this report on the status of markets in the DPRK. The report states: “However, as North Koreans gradually become more quality- conscious, Chinese-made goods will loose market strength, especially as better quality imports — such as those from South Korea, which are imported on a limited basis — begin to raise the awareness of North Koreans.”

The Institute for Science and International Security (ISIS) released this report on the DPRK’s plutonium stock and its means to produce and separate plutonium. The report states: “Assuming that the recently unloaded fuel has not yet been separated, the DPRK has about 15-38 kilograms of separated plutonium. At 4-5 kilograms of plutonium per weapon, this plutonium is enough for 3-9 nuclear weapons.”

This is the full text of the joint statement issued at the close of the fourth round of six-party talks.

Eric Hagt and Chen Yali, World Security Institute China Program, writes: “China is a rising power, and the paramount task of both China and the United States is to adjust to that impending reality ­ in terms of economic and trade relations, but also in terms of Taiwan and the two nations’ strategic policies. A heavy responsibility falls on China to assure the region and the world that its rise won’t constitute a threat to others; that it is a force for stability rather than a revisionist power ? On the other hand, the United States must deeply reflect on its own policies toward China, as the latter evolves as a regional and potential world power.”

Frank Barnaby, Nuclear Issues Consultant to Oxford Research Group (ORG), and Shaun Burnie, Coordinator of Greenpeace International nuclear campaigns, write: “Treat nothing as inevitable is a good principle to live one’s life by. Unfortunately, in the case of Japan’s nuclear development, it may not be sufficient. The international community – read governments – will learn to live with Japanese nuclear weapons if that occasion arises. The consequences would of course be terrible for Northeast Asia. Pressure in South Korea to respond would be huge, relations with China could become disastrous, and the global nuclear non-proliferation regime centred around the NPT reduced to a historical footnote.”

This report by CSIS Pacific Forum collects the results of the forum’s Young Leaders Program which seeks to, “bring talented young professionals, working on the particular subjects of our meetings, to the table to enrich our discussions and to provide them with the opportunity to acquire on-the-job training and exposure to individuals and ideas that they might only otherwise encounter in books.”

South Korea President Roh Moo-hyun delivered this speech on the 60th anniversary of Korean liberation. President Roh said: “History now gives us another calling. It is none other than putting an end to the history of divisiveness and opening an age of national unity. It is also to build a springboard to overcome the age of national division and usher in a new age of national unification for peace and prosperity.”

Andrew Scobell, an Associate Research Professor at the Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College, and Adjunct Professor of Political Science at Dickinson College, writes: “North Korea’s rulers are influenced by history, ideology, and notions of nationalism that produce what social scientists like to term a ‘bounded rationality.’ The author’s conclusion is that North Korea’s senior leaders are determined and confident that they will not only survive but that they will be able to restore and revitalize their regime.”

Hiromichi Umebayashi, President of the Peace Depot Japan, and International Coordinator for the Pacific Campaign for Disarmament & Security (PCDS), writes: “The objectives of a NWFZ include not only limiting nuclear weapons, but also making a significant contribution to maintaining international peace and security in areas with varied historical backgrounds, some with long-standing disputes.”