1. US on DPRK Nuclear Programs, Six Party Talks

Chosun Ilbo (“RICE DENIES U.S. CLIMBED DOWN ON N.K. URANIuM ENRICHMENT”, 2005-07-13) reported that US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Wednesday denied reports that the US has given up pressing the DPRK to admit and scrap a highly enriched uranium project. In a joint press conference with ROK Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon, Rice said the US wanted to deal with all of the DPRK’s nuclear programs, including the alleged uranium enrichment project. She also said she has no plans to visit the DPRK.

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2. ROK, US on Six Party Talks

Korea.Net (“RICE WILLING TO MAKE PROGRESS IN 6-WAY TALKS”, 2005-07-13) reported that ROK and the US agreed on Tuesday to try to make progress in the upcoming six-party talks, a high-ranking Seoul official told reporters. US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice held a meeting with Ban Ki-moon, the ROK’s minister of foreign affairs and trade, to discuss solutions to the DPRK’s nuclear weapons programs.

(return to top) Chosun Ilbo (“RICE, BAN URGE N.KOREA TO SCRAP NUKE PROGRAM “, 2005-07-12) reported that the ROK Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon and his US counterpart Condoleezza Rice on Tuesday once again urged the DPRK to make a strategic decision in the next round of six-party talks. At her meeting with Ban, Rice stressed the importance of cooperation between the ROK, the US and Japan to resolve the DPRK dispute while hinting that Washington could be flexible on a proposal it made in the last round of the six-party talks. (return to top)

3. DPRK on Six Party Talks

Associated Press (“KIM JONG IL WANTS NUCLEAR-FREE KOREA”, 2005-07-13) reported that according to Xinhua, DPRK leader Kim Jong Il told a visiting PRC diplomat Wednesday that his country seeks a nuclear-free Korean Peninsula. Kim said DPRK “expects the next round of the talks to be held on time and make positive progress”.

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4. Role of Aid on DPRK Return to Six Party Talks

Korea Times (“SEOUL NOT TO ABUSE ENERGY AID PLAN “, 2005-07-13) reported that the ROK would never use its proposed electricity aid to the DPRK as “leverage to pressure the impoverished country once its nuclear weapons problem is resolved” said a high-profile official in Seoul. The official stressed electricity aid is fundamentally aimed at developing the economies in a balanced manner. The remarks, experts say, indicate the electricity aid could be controlled by a multinational body like the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization.

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5. US on Role of Aid in DPRK’s Return to Six Party Talks

Financial Times (“US AND S KOREA ALIGN STANCE ON NORTH”, 2005-07-13) reported that the US and the ROK on Wednesday put aside their differences over how to deal with the DPRK, with Condoleezza Rice, US secretary of state, applauding Seoul’s offer of energy assistance if Pyongyang agreed to dismantle its nuclear weapons programme. Washington had refused to offer the DPRK any incentives to return to the six-party talks aimed at Pyongyang’s disarmament, and some in the Bush administration were unhappy with the carrots being dangled by Seoul, which they thought were rewarding bad behaviour. But the ROK’s pledge to run power lines into impoverished the DPRK, potentially doubling its energy supplies, appears to have been critical in securing Pyongyang’s agreement to return to talks at the end of this month.

(return to top) Joongang Ilbo (“OFFER WILL BE OF GREAT HELP, RICE SAYS “, 2005-07-13) reported that during a two-hour dinner discussion yesterday, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice told the ROK Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon that the ROK’s “significant proposal” of energy aid to the DPRK would be of great help in bringing about positive results in the renewed six-party talks, according to Foreign Ministry officials. Ms. Rice told reporters that Washington did not oppose Seoul’s decision, announced this week, to send 500,000 tons of rice aid to the DPRK. She said Washington understood that the decision was made for humanitarian reasons, and said it would not weaken the US stance in the upcoming talks. (return to top)

6. Expert on PRC Role in Six Party Talks

Reuters (“CHINA SIGNALS HIGH-STAKES ROLE IN NORTH KOREA”, 2005-07-13) reported that the PRC can wield both a carrot and stick to woo the DPRK back to six-party talks, but as early as last week there were grumblings it was using neither. Thomas Christensen, a political scientist at Princeton University, said “If the talks are to produce more than just diplomatic photo opportunities, China will need to stay engaged actively to convince North Korea to make the strategic decision to give up its nuclear weapons programmes in a verifiable way”.

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7. Japan on Abductee Issue at Six Party Talks

Asahi Shimbun (“INSIGHT: TOKYO FEELS HELPLESS ON ABDUCTION ISSUE”, 2005-07-13) reported that a sense of helplessness prevails in Nagatacho over prospects for progress in the abduction issue at six-nation talks. Other participants at the six party talks would rather focus on what they see as a more pressing issue-getting Pyongyang to abandon its nuclear program. However, Tokyo lacks any leverage to bring Pyongyang to the table to resume talks on this bilateral issue.

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8. Russia on Six Party Talks

Reuters (“RUSSIA DOESN’T EXPECT BREAKTHROUGH AT KOREA TALKS”, 2005-07-13) reported that no breakthrough should be expected at six party talks, a senior Russian official said on Wednesday. “After a long pause in talks, which lasted more than a year, it would be too optimistic to expect any radical breakthroughs,” and “before the start of official talks we would prefer not to disclose our negotiating position,” he said.

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9. US on US-ROK Relations

Chosun Ilbo (“U.S. CONGRESSMAN SPEAKS UP FOR SOUTH KOREA”, 2005-07-13) reported that Dan Burton, a senior US congressman, on Tuesday called for closer ties between the US and the ROK, its “forgotten ally.” Burton called the relationship with the ROK one of the US’s most important and dynamic partnerships, politically, militarily and economically, and said Seoul was still the most important strategic partner in East Asia. He said the US must realize that the ROK is a necessary and indispensable partner in promoting democracy and a free-market economy.

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10. DPRK’s Economic Dependence on PRC

Chosun Ilbo (“TRADE TRAFFIC TELLS OF N.KOREA’S DEPENDENCY ON CHINA “, 2005-07-13) reported that as the DPRK’s economic dependency on PRC grows, there are mounting concerns that the country could one day be reduced to a de-facto PRC province. Prof. Nam Seong-wook of Korea University feels that, the PRC’s investment in the DPRK, which does not have a properly constituted market, appears to be motivated by political objectives rather than economic incentives.

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11. Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation

Donga Ilbo (“NEW TYPE OF INTER-KOREAN ECONOMIC COOPERATION “, 2005-07-13) reported that the 10th inter-Korean economic talks opened a new chapter in economic cooperation between the two Koreas. The two Koreas agreed on 12 points such as the DPRK and the ROK economic survey missions visiting each other during November, the forming and managing of a working group on science and technology, constructing infrastructure on one million pyeong at an earlier date as the first phase in building the main complex of the Gaesong Industrial Complex, having a fifth round of maritime transport working-level contacts at Munsan, Gyeonggi Province from August 8 to 10, and joint research on Imjin River flood prevention in late August.

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12. Inter-Korean Talks on Family Reunions

Korea.Net (“2 KOREANS PLAN VIDEO REUNIONS OF FAMILY MEMBERS”, 2005-07-13) reported that inter-Korean talks began on Tuesday to plan video reunions for now-elderly Koreans separated from family members, the Red Cross in Seoul said. The talks are focusing on deciding the number of participating families and where centers for the video reunions will be located.

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13. Japan Textbook Issue

Agence France-Presse (“FIRST JAPANESE TOWN ADOPTS NATIONALIST TEXTBOOK THAT OUTRAGED CHINA, SKOREA”, 2005-07-13) reported that the Japanese town of Otawara has became the first to adopt nationalist textbooks that have triggered strong protests by the PRC and ROK, which accuse Tokyo of denying its militarist past. The education board of Otawara, an industrial and agricultural town 300 kilometers (180 miles) north of Tokyo, voted unanimously to use the controversial history and civics books at 12 junior high schools from April.

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14. Japan on UNSC Expansion

International Herald Tribune (“JAPAN IS UNDETERRED IN U.N. FIGHT “, 2005-07-13) reported that Japan will press on with its fight for a resolution to expand the United Nations Security Council, despite a firm rejection by the US, as officials said on Wednesday that they believe Washington’s position is not fixed. The chief cabinet secretary, Hiroyuki Hosoda, said that Japan felt the US position was not final and that there had been extensive discussions of the issue with Rice.

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15. Russia on Six Party Talks

Interfax (“RUSSIA AGAINST PUTTING ABDUCTIONS ON N. KOREA TALKS AGENDA”, 2005-07-13) reported that Japan has proposed putting a demand for the repatriation of its nationals who were kidnapped by the DPRK in the 1970s and ’80s on the agenda of the next round of six-nation talks on the DPRK nuclear program, but Russia opposes this plan, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev said on Wednesday. “We believe that issues related to the goal of denuclearizing the Korean peninsula should remain the main subject of the six-party negotiations,” he told Interfax.

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16. Russia on Spent Fuel Storage

RIA Novosti (“RUSSIA ALREADY HAS 16,000 TONS OF SPENT NUCLEAR FUEL”, 2005-07-13) reported that Russia already has 16,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel, an official from the Rosatom federal agency for nuclear energy said Wednesday. Kudryavtsev also said that Russia would receive 24,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel for storage by 2015. He said, “The geological isolation of the fuel (until 2015) will cost $10 billion, and storage will cost $105.01 million a year.” He added that it was therefore necessary to consider how to optimize spending on the storage and disposal of spent nuclear fuel.

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17. PRC, ROK, Japan Energy Cooperation

Xinhua News (“ASEAN, CHINA, JAPAN, S. KOREA TO ENHANCE ENERGY COOPERATION”, 2005-07-13) reported that the Second ASEAN, PRC, Japan and ROK Ministers on Energy Meeting (AMEM+3) was held here on Wednesday, focusing on “Promoting Greater Energy Stability, Security and Sustainability through ASEAN+3 Energy Partnership.” The meeting had a comprehensive discussion on key energy concerns and agreed to further enhance their energy cooperation to cope with the growing energy demand and rising dependence on oil import. They agreed to take necessary steps to respond to the high prices including joint study on oil market and trading in the ASEAN+3 countries. They also reaffirmed the importance of oil stockpiling and to strengthen dialogue oil producing countries to foster mutual understanding.

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18. Sino-Mongolian Relations

Xinhua News (“CHINA, MONGOLIA TO DEEPEN BILATERAL LINKS: CPPCC CHAIRMAN “, 2005-07-13) reported that the PRC is ready to work with Mongolia to deepen and expand bilateral links in all dimensions, Jia Qinglin, head of the PRC’s top advisory body, said here on Wednesday. Jia, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), said that the PRC and Mongolia should be good neighbors, good partners and good friends forever. He made these remarks during a meeting with visiting Mongolian Minister of Defense Tserenkhuugyn Sharavdorj.

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19. PRC Military

Xinhua News (“CHINESE MILITARY TO BE RESTRUCTURED “, 2005-07-13) reported that the PRC military is expected to shift its traditional structure by adding new battle units and cutting outdated ones in an effort to create new combat effectiveness, reported Tuesday’s Liberation Army Daily. According to the Headquarters of the General Staff of the PRC People’s Liberation Army (PLA), a program is currently underway to change the structure of the PRC military by cutting its divisions and increasing brigades.

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20. PRC Rural Poverty

Washington Post (“RURAL POOR AREN’T SHARING IN SPOILS OF CHINA’S CHANGES”, 2005-07-13) reported that those within reach of the PRC’s booming coastal cities have been compensated with new opportunities that have lifted millions out of poverty, such as factory jobs making goods for export and cash markets for fruit and vegetables. But that upside remains beyond this rural community and thousands of others like it across this still predominantly peasant country. The costs of buying food and growing watermelon have climbed faster than what Wang receives for his crop. His household income has slipped by 20 percent over the past five years, to about $300 per year.

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21. PRC Oil Policy

Washington Post (“BIG SHIFT IN CHINA’S OIL POLICY”, 2005-07-13) reported that until recently, the PRC’s view of the global energy map focused narrowly on the Middle East, which holds roughly two-thirds of the world’s oil. Then the US went to war in Iraq in 2003, wiping out the PRC’s stakes. The war and its aftermath have reshaped the PRC’s basic conception of the geopolitics of oil and added urgency to its mission to lessen dependence on Middle East supplies. It has reinforced the PRC’s fears that it is locked in a zero-sum contest for energy with the world’s lone superpower, prompting Beijing to intensify its search for new sources, international relations and energy experts say.

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22. PRC Media Control

The Associated Press (“CHINA BARS SOME STATIONS ON PARTNERSHIPS”, 2005-07-13) reported that the PRC tightened controls on its television and radio stations, announcing a ban on forming partnerships with foreign broadcasters to operate channels. The measure represents a step back from more liberal rules unveiled late last year in an effort to open the PRC’s media market. PRC broadcasters also are barred from leasing channels to foreign companies, according to a notice posted on the Web site of the government’s television regulator.

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23. PRC Bird Flu Outbreak

Agence France Presse (“CHINA’S MIGRATORY BIRDS CARRY A MORE DEADLY AVIAN FLU STRAIN”, 2005-07-13) reported that wild birds in northwest PRC carry a more deadly strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus and pose a global threat as they begin their summer migrations, state media has quoted scientists as saying. PRC scientists who recently tested the virus samples and completed gene sequencing said the strain in the outbreak appeared different and more pathogenic than strains in previous outbreaks, the Wenhuibao newspaper said. “The results show that this new strain of H5N1 is very harmful,” said Gao Fu, director of the PRC Academy of Science’s microbiology research institute.

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