Preceding NAPSNet Report

I. United States

1. US on DPRK Nuclear Program

New York Times (“U.S. ENVOY TO JAPAN ASSAILS NORTH KOREA’S ARMS PROGRAM”, 2005-02-17) reported that the US ambassador to Japan criticized the DPRK on Wednesday for proliferating nuclear weapons materials and called its nuclear program “a deadly threat.” “The thing I worry most about with the North Koreans, to tell you the truth, is not that they’re going to bomb Tokyo, but rather that they have a demonstrated record of selling any military device they own,” Howard H. Baker Jr. said in a press briefing as he prepared to leave Japan. Mr. Baker said the world should not have any doubts that the DPRK had nuclear weapons.

(return to top) Donga Ilbo (“NORTH KOREA’S NUCLEAR MISSILE CAN REACH THE U.S.”, 2005-02-17) reported that CIA Director Porter Goss stated on February 16 that the US believes that the DPRK’s Daepodong-2 can load nuclear warheads and deliver itself to US soil. Attending the Senate’s Intelligence Committee hearing on that day, Goss said the above, adding, “Including the long-range missile Daepodong-2 system, Pyongyang may resume missile experiments at any time.” He, however, did not clarify specifically whether the DPRK can launch nuclear warhead-laden missiles with its technology or what region in the US that DPRK missiles could reach.” (return to top) Choson Ilbo (“CIA CHIEF RATCHETS UP N. KOREAN NUKE CLAIMS”, 2005-02-17) reported that in a marked shift from Washington’s previous line, CIA Director Porter Goss said Wednesday the US intelligence agency believed the DPRK nuclear capabilities increased in the three years since the agency reported that Pyongyang had extracted enough plutonium to build one or two nuclear weapons. He said the agency believed the DPRK can field effective long-range missiles, saying its Taepodong 2 missile was capable of carrying a nuclear payload to the US. The range of the Taepodong 2, known to be under development, is believed to be 6,000 km, enabling it to strike Alaska. (return to top)

2. Japan on DPRK Nuclear Program

Kyodo News (“KOIZUMI URGES N. KOREA TO SCRAP NUKES AFTER MISSILE CONCERNS”, 2005-02-17) reported that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Thursday reiterated his call on the DPRK to scrap its nuclear weapons following testimony by US intelligence officials that Pyongyang may test-fire a nuclear-capable intercontinental missile “at any time.” “Such allegations have been raised before and that’s a reason Japan sees the need to continue working with other parties to have North Korea scrap nuclear weapons at the six-party forum,” Koizumi told reporters at his office.

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3. DPRK on Nuclear Program

Joongang Ilbo (“NORTH RADIO TRANSCRIPT PUZZLES ANALYSTS”, 2005-02-17) reported that a transcript obtained by the JoongAng Ilbo of a Monday broadcast by a state-run DPRK radio station appears to contradict Pyeongyang’s claim last week that the regime has nuclear weapons. The Monday transcript included this statement: “The United States, which has been intoxicated with victories in invasion wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, has designated our republic, which it called part of an axis of evil, as the next target to attack, while circulating theories of nuclear and missile threats that we are not in possession of.” Some observers suggested that the apparent discrepancy may suggest conflict within the DPRK’s power elite. But intelligence officers point out that there have been no other signs of such a conflict in recent days.

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4. US on DPRK Nuclear Issue

Associated Press (“POLL SAYS AMERICANS SEE NORTH KOREA AS BIG THREAT”, 2005-02-17) reported that people in the US now consider the DPRK to be one of the country’s biggest enemies – up sharply from four years ago, a poll found. When a Gallup poll asked people in the US which country they “considered to be America’s greatest enemy today,” the DPRK and Iraq were tied for first, with 22 percent choosing each country. Iran was third, chosen by 14 percent, while the PRC was chosen by 10 percent.

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5. ROK on DPRK Nuclear Issue

Choson Ilbo (“POLL SHOWS MAJORITY OF SOUTH KOREANS UNWORRIED BY NORTH STATEMENT”, 2005-02-17) reported that a majority of ROK citizens are unconcerned by the DPRK’s 10 February announcement that it has nuclear weapons. In a public opinion poll conducted Tuesday (15 February) by TNS Korea at the request of the Korea Society Opinion Institute (KSOI) on 700 adult men and women nationwide, 58.9 per cent of respondents said they felt no insecurity following the DPRK’s recent declaration.

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6. ROK on US Role in DPRK Nuclear Issue

Yonhap (“U.S. SECURITY GUARANTEE ONLY SOLUTION TO N.K. CRISIS: KIM DJ”, 2005-02-17) reported that former ROK President Kim Dae-jung on Thursday said a security guarantee from the US is the only solution to the ongoing dispute over the DPRK’s nuclear development program, according to officials at the Millennium Democratic Party.

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7. ROK on PRC Role in DPRK Nuclear Issue

Agence France-Presse (“CHINA CAN WIELD BIG STICK ON NORTH KOREA, SAYS DIPLOMAT”, 2005-02-17) reported that the PRC’s leverage over the DPRK is greater than previously admitted, Seoul’s top envoy to Beijing said Thursday, as a diplomatic drive builds to rein in its unruly communist ally. Beijing is Pyongyang’s top trading partner and provides an economic lifeline as the DPRK’s isolation deepens due to the standoff over its nuclear weapons drive. Crucially, the PRC sends more than a million tons of oil and double that amount of coal to meet the minimum energy requirements of its neighbor annually.

(return to top) Joongang Ilbo (“OFFICIAL SAYS CHINA HAS MOST SWAY WITH NORTH”, 2005-02-17) reported that the PRC, a supplier of up to 80 to 90 percent of the goods and products flowing into the DPRK, could hold strong sway over the country that defiantly declared last week it has nuclear weapons, said Seoul’s ambassador to the PRC. “China has been North Korea’s ally for 55 years,” Ambassador Kim said. “If it [China] uses the pressure card there could be a fundamental damage and a bad reaction to it. China seems to think it’s not the time to use pressure.” (return to top) Yonhap (“CHINA CONSIDERING ‘ADDITIONAL’ ACTION ON NK NUKES: FOREIGN MINISTER”, 2005-02-17) reported that the PRC is considering taking “other initiatives” in addition to sending a special envoy to Pyongyang to try to persuade its neighbor to rejoin nuclear disarmament talks, a ROK official said Thursday. “China has informed us of its plan to take other initiatives in addition to sending an envoy to North Korea,” Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon told a meeting of Korean diplomats and lawmakers. (return to top)

8. US on DPRK Nuclear Talks

Kyodo News (“BUSH MAINTAINS 6-PARTY TALKS AS SOLUTION TO N. KOREA’S NUKE PROGRAM”, 2005-02-17) reported that President George W. Bush maintained Thursday that the US will continue working with other parties to the six-nation talks to find how best to deal with the DPRK after Pyongyang declared last week that it possesses nuclear weapons and is pulling out of the talks indefinitely. “It is time for us to work with friends and allies to be part of the process to decide what we’re going to jointly do about it,” Bush told a press conference.

(return to top) Choson Ilbo (“RICE PLANS NE ASIA NUKE TOUR”, 2005-02-17) reported that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will make a tour of Northeast Asian nations before April to discuss the DPRK nuclear crisis, a diplomatic source said Friday. There are also plans for a meeting between President Roh Moo-hyun and U.S. President George W. Bush on the sidelines of May 9 celebrations in Moscow to mark the 60th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II. (return to top)

9. ROK, PRC on DPRK Nuclear Talks

Reuters (“S.KOREA, CHINA URGE PATIENCE FOR N.KOREA TALKS”, 2005-02-17) reported that the ROK and PRC urged patience with the DPRK on Thursday, stressing their commitment to six-party talks on its nuclear program, as diplomats consulted in Beijing to try to get the process back on track. PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said said the PRC remained committed to the six-party process and pressuring the DPRK was not the answer. “We believe this kind of tactic will not create a resolution but instead raise tensions,” he told a regular news briefing. “Complication of the issue will complicate the safety and security of the region.”

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10. US, PRC on DPRK Nuclear Talks

Yonhap (“U.S., CHINA AGREE TO COOPERATE IN NUKE CRISIS: HILL”, 2005-02-17) reported that Christopher Hill, the newly-appointed chief US interlocutor for the DPRK, said Thursday that Washington and Beijing agreed to cooperate in efforts to woo Pyongyang back to the bargaining table. Returning from his one-day trip to Beijing, the US envoy to the ROK said his trip bore some fruit and that the six-way talks will be resumed in the near future.

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11. US on USS Pueblo

Congressional Record (Senate) (“SENATE RESOLUTION 53–DEMANDING THE RETURN OF THE USS “PUEBLO” TO THE UNITED STATES NAVY”, 2005-02-14) Whereas the USS Pueblo, which was attacked and captured by the North Korean Navy on January 23, 1968; Whereas the capture of the USS Pueblo resulted in no reprisals against the Government or people of North Korea and no military action at any time; Now, therefore, be it Resolved, That the Senate–(1) demands the return of the USS Pueblo to the United States Navy; and (2) directs the Secretary of the Senate to transmit copies of this resolution to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the Secretary of State.

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12. ROK on Nuclear Defense

Choson Ilbo (“SOUTH KOREA READY FOR NORTH NUCLEAR WEAPONS “FOR YEARS” – DEFENCE MINISTER”, 2005-02-17) reported that defense Minister Yoon Kwang-ung said Thursday the military had been ready for DPRK nuclear weapons for years, including with operational plans. But Yoon told reporters at the Ministry of Defense that Pyongyang would have difficulty using the weapons even if it has them, because firing them on the peninsula could mean its own destruction. Yoon quoted experts as saying that if the DPRK were to use nuclear weapons, it would need to use Russian-made IL-28 bombers capable of carrying ordinance weighing up to 3.5 tons. But the DPRK’s presumed A-bombs are believed to weigh 4 tons or more, making them too heavy.

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13. US Missile Defense Shield

The Japan Times (“U.S. TO DEPLOY TWO AEGIS DESTROYERS IN YOKOSUKA”, 2005-02-17) reported that the US Navy in Japan has said it will replace a cruiser and a destroyer forward-deployed here with two Aegis-equipped destroyers later this year. With its ability to acquire and track ballistic missiles by radar, the vessel is expected to operate as part of the US-led missile defense shield, which Japan joined in December 2003, against possible missile attacks by the DPRK.

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14. US – ROK Military Alliance

Associated Press (“U.S., SOUTH KOREA TO CONDUCT JOINT MILITARY EXERCISE IN MARCH”, 2005-02-17) reported that special forces from the US and ROK plan to conduct a joint exercise in March, a US military spokesman said Thursday. The announcement came amid a heightened standoff over the DPRK’s nuclear weapons programs. The exercise was scheduled ahead of the DPRK statement, said Kim Yong-kyu, a spokesman for the US military command in Seoul. The drill is of “small-scale” involving only dozens of soldiers, he said.

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15. ROK on Kaesong Project

Yonhap (“SEOUL TO LINK KAESONG PROJECT WITH MOVES TO RESOLVE NUCLEAR ROW”, 2005-02-17) reported that the ROK said Thursday that it will pursue an inter-Korean industrial park being built in the DPRK along with diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute over Pyongyang’s nuclear weapons program. “No additional policy has been set as the Kaesong project is the one on which the two Koreas agreed and consulted fully with the United States,” Cho Myong-gyon, the chief official in charge of the industrial park in the DPRK, said in a meeting with heads of local firms that have interests in Kaesong.

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16. DPRK on Human Rights

Yonhap (“N. KOREA CLAIMS TO HAVE DIFFERENT VIEWS ON HUMAN RIGHTS”, 2005-02-17) reported that the DPRK said Thursday that its views on human rights differ from those of the US, calling the US human rights offensive a precursor to a US-led invasion. Uriminzokkiri, a state-run Internet site in the DPRK, claimed there have been no human rights problems and there will be none in the future.

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17. Inter – Korean Smuggling

Yonhap (“TWO S. KOREANS RECEIVE JAIL TERM FOR SMUGGLING SHIPS TO N. KOREA”, 2005-02-17) reported that two ROK men aged in their 50s were each sentenced to one year in jail on Thursday for smuggling four scrapped vessels to the DPRK. The Daegu District Court found them guilty of violating the law on inter-Korean exchange and cooperation.

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18. ROK Wind Farms

Yonhap (“SOUTH KOREA TO BUILD “MASSIVE” OFFSHORE WIND FARMS”, 2005-02-17) reported that ROK companies and lawmakers will set up a forum to build four massive offshore wind farms that could generate a combined 1m kW of electricity, sources said Thursday (17 February). Lawmakers from both the ruling and opposition parties will take part to lend their political support. It will push to construct wind farms off Pusan, Cheju, Inchon International Airport and a yet-to-be-picked site along the south coast at a cost of 3 trillion won (2.92bn US dollars), according to the sources.

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19. ROK on Nuclear Experiments

Korea Times (“SEOUL TO TIGHTEN CONTROL ON NUCLEAR EXPERIMENTS”, 2005-02-17) reported that the ROK plans to establish a law aimed at better controlling the use of nuclear power and banning any attempts to develop nuclear weapons. The Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) said Thursday it is looking to draw up a draft in March for presentation to the National Assembly. If the bill passes, it would be implemented in September. The new act will contain all regulations related to nuclear security, which until now have been scattered in different laws. Under the strengthened regulations, the ROK’s nuclear researchers will be required to periodically go through security education sessions.

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20. ROK – Japanese Relations

Korea Times (“KOREA, JAPAN LAUNCH JOINT TOURISM PROMOTION”, 2005-02-17 ) reported that the ROK and Japan kicked off the Visit Korea-Japan Year 2005 on Thursday to increase the number of visitors between the countries to 5 million. The two countries held the ceremony for the launching of the joint promotion year at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul. The project is a part of the Year of Korea-Japan Friendship 2005, designated by the two nations to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

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21. ROK – Philippines Relations

Korea Times (“KOREA-PHILIPPINES DEFENSE TALKS DUE FOR FEB. 22”, 2005-02-17) reproted that top defense officials of the ROK and the Philippines will meet next Tuesday in Seoul to discuss ways of increasing cooperation on military industries and logistics, the Defense Ministry said Thursday. Seoul officials plan to ask their Manila counterparts to allow ROK firms to take part in projects to upgrade military aircraft, armored vehicles and other military hardware, the ministry said.

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22. Kyodo Pact

Associated Press (“PROPONENTS WANT U.S. TO JOIN KYOTO PACT”, 2005-02-17) reported that amid fanfare marking the enactment of the Kyoto global warming pact, leading proponents laid out their next goals Wednesday: persuading the US to join the world crackdown on emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases and planning further steps when the current agreement runs out in 2012. Washington’s absence loomed large over celebrations Wednesday in Kyoto, where environment ministers from member countries said progress would be limited without US participation.

(return to top) The Japan Times (“JAPAN UNFAZED BY RISE IN EMISSIONS”, 2005-02-17) reported that Japan is confident it can achieve its pledge to cut greenhouse gas emissions to 94 percent of 1990 levels as required by the Kyoto Protocol on global warming, the top government spokesman said Wednesday. But in fiscal 2003, emissions were 8 percent higher than those of the base year, making it the only major signatory to see a rise in emissions. The government plans to draw up and formally adopt an action plan to achieve the emission-cutting pledge by late April or May. (return to top)

23. Japan – US on Tsunami Warning System

The Associated Press (“JAPAN, U.S. TO SUPPLY TSUNAMI WARNINGS”, 2005-02-17) reported that the US and Japan will start providing tsunami warnings to countries around the Indian Ocean as early as next month as a stopgap measure until the region establishes its own alert system, a Japanese official said Thursday. Under the plans, both Japan’s Meteorological Agency and the Hawaii-based Pacific Tsunami Warning Center will distribute tsunami alerts to Indian Ocean countries after analyzing quakes in the region, said agency official Osamu Kamigaichi.

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24. US Nuclear Development

Washington Post (“RUMSFELD STATES CASE FOR BURROWING WEAPON”, 2005-02-17) reported that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld yesterday defended plans to resume studying the feasibility of an earth-penetrating nuclear warhead, saying many countries are burying targets underground and “we have no capability, conventional or nuclear” to go after them. Opposition to the study came from House and Senate members who saw it as the US working to create a new nuclear weapon when Washington is attempting to stop other countries, such as Iran and the DPRK, from having atomic weapons.

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25. US Intelligence on Threats

International Herald Tribune/NY Times (“SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE WARNED ON THREATS TO U.S”, 2005-02-17) reported that top intelligence officials said today that they remained concerned that terrorists were regrouping to attempt another major attack on the US and also said that Iran posed a rising threat in the Middle East. In other key points, the intelligence chiefs said that Abu Musab al-Zarqawi hoped to use Iraq as a base to launch attacks on Western countries and “apostate” Arab nations; said that the DPRK seemed unlikely ever to give up its nuclear weapons, but also was unlikely to attack the ROK, and expressed concern about the PRC’s growing militarization and about its “more assertive policies” toward Taiwan.

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26. US on Cross Strait Relations

Reuters (“CHINA ARMS BUILDUP SAID TILTING TAIWAN STRAIT POWER BALANCE”, 2005-02-17) reported that the RPC’s military buildup is tilting the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait, CIA Director Porter Goss said on Wednesday in an ominous new assessment of the Asian giant’s rising power. “Beijing’s military modernization and military buildup is tilting the balance of power in the Taiwan Strait,” Goss told the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence. “Chinese capabilities threaten U.S. forces in the region,” he said.

(return to top) Agence France-Presse (“BILL INTRODUCED IN US CONGRESS TO RESTORE DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH TAIWAN”, 2005-02-17) reported that a bipartisan resolution has been introduced in the House of Representatives demanding resumption of diplomatic ties with Taiwan in a move certain to upset PRC and embarrass the Bush administration. In presenting the bill, Tom Tancredo, the Republican Representative from Littleton, said the US should scrap its “one China” policy. John Tkacik, a PRC expert at the Heritage Foundation, told AFP he did not expect the resolution to get very far but added that it could stimulate “an important debate that the Bush administration desperately hope to avoid and is certain to upset China.” (return to top)

27. PRC Consumption

The Associated Press (“REPORT: CHINA’S CONSUMER SOCIETY BOOMING”, 2005-02-17) reported that for decades, while the PRC was closed to business from the US, American companies lusted over the boundless merchandise market that such a big country was certain to offer one day. Now that day has come: the PRC has surpassed the US in consumption of every basic food, energy and industrial commodity except oil. A report released Wednesday by the environmental advocate Earth Policy Institute said, however, that per capita consumption in the PRC remains far below that of the US.

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28. PRC on GM Food

Agence France-Presse (“CHINA PLANNING LARGE-SCALE INTRODUCTION OF GENETICALLY-ENGINEERED RICE”, 2005-02-17) reported that the PRC is on the verge of introducing genetically-engineered rice on a large scale as it seeks ways to adequately supply the basic staple to its people. “It would boost China’s rice output by 30 billion kilograms (66 billion pounds) a year. That’s enough to feed 70 million more people,” Yuan Longping, head of China’s super hybrid rice scheme, told the Changsha Evening News.

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29. PRC on Mine Blasts

The Associated Press (“4 REMAIN MISSING IN CHINESE MINE BLAST”, 2005-02-17) reported that families mourned and began the harrowing process of identifying dead relatives Thursday in this coal city in northeastern PRC following the country’s worst reported mine disaster since Communist rule began in 1949. Four miners remained missing following the gas blast Monday about 790 feet underground that killed at least 211 miners at the state-run Sunjiawan mine in northeast PRC’s Liaoning province. At least 206 bodies had been recovered, the official Xinhua News Agency reported.

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