NAPSNet Daily Report Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Recommended Citation

"NAPSNet Daily Report Wednesday, July 05, 2006", NAPSNet Daily Report, July 05, 2006, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-daily-report/napsnet-daily-report-wednesday-july-05-2006/

NAPSNet Daily Report Wednesday, July 05, 2006

NAPSNet Daily Report Wednesday, July 05, 2006

I. NAPSNet

Preceding NAPSNet Report

I. NAPSNet

1. DPRK Missile Test

Reuters (“NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES MISSILES”, 2006-07-05) reported that the DPRK test-fired a barrage of missiles on Wednesday, including a long-range weapon said to be capable of reaching Alaska, ratcheting up tensions in north Asia and drawing international condemnation. At least six missiles were launched early in the morning and a seventh some 12 hours later, officials in Japan and the ROK said. Russia said the DPRK fired 10 missiles, but the report from a senior general could not be immediately confirmed. The long-range Taepodong-2 missile apparently failed 40 seconds into its flight, US officials said. Japanese and ROK officials said the missiles fell into the sea separating the Korean peninsula from Japan.

(return to top) Reuters (“UN MULLS SANCTIONS AFTER NORTH KOREA MISSILE LAUNCH”, 2006-07-05) reported that the UN Security Council on Wednesday considered imposing sanctions on the DPRK’s weapons program after the reclusive state test-fired a series of missiles including a long-range weapon. Japan, backed by the US and Britain prepared a resolution demanding that nations withhold all funds, goods and technology that could be used for the DPRK’s missile program. But Russia said it opposed sanctions and would prefer a statement instead of a resolution as the outcome of the meeting. (return to top) Agence France-Presse (“US: NO DIRECT TALKS WITH NORTH KOREA “, 2006-07-05) reported that the US ruled out direct talks with the DPRK in response to its missile launches and pressured Pyongyang to “step back” and rejoin six-country nuclear negotiations. “This is not a US-North Korea issue, and we are not going to permit the leader of North Korea to transform it into that,” White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters as the DPRK fired a seventh missile. (return to top) Agence France-Presse (“US, NORTH KOREA’S NEIGHBOURS ENRAGED AT MISSILE TESTS”, 2006-07-05) reported that the US and the DPRK’s Asian neighbours led international outrage over its missile tests, launching sanctions, raising military alerts and urging it to return to nuclear disarmament talks. The US said it was going on the diplomatic counter-offensive and condemned the missile tests as provocative acts, even though they posed no immediate threat. “The United States strongly condemns these missile launches… We are consulting with international partners on next steps,” said White House Press Secretary Tony Snow. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said the DPRK may have miscalculated if it thought it would divide the international community. “There has been a very strong response to their actions. So whatever the motivations, whatever they thought they were doing, they have gotten a strong reaction from the international community,” Rice said. (return to top) Associated Press (“NATO URGES FIRM RESPONSE TO NORTH KOREA”, 2006-07-05) reported that NATO on Wednesday called for a firm international response to the DPRK’s missile tests, which the military alliance condemned as a threat to security in Asia and the wider world. “North Korea’s missile programs and provocative actions necessitate a firm response from the international community,” the 26-nation alliance said. “We call on North Korea to cease immediately the development of long-range missiles and reconfirm its moratorium on all long-range missile launches.” (return to top) JoongAng Ilbo (“FIRST ANALYSES: PYONGYANG IS A CLEAR WINNER”, 2006-07-05) reported that the initial reaction from many political analysts in the ROK was that despite the failure of the DPRK’s Taepodong-2 missile to hang together for more than 40 seconds, the DPRK will probably be the big winner in the international game of “chicken” it seems to thrive on. The consensus is that the flood of threats from other countries to impose sanctions are hollow; the country has been essentially cut off from the rest of the world for decades. “Kim Jong-il gambled that Beijing and Seoul will not change their stances toward the North despite what happened, and it’s likely that his gamble will pay off,” said Kim Tae-hyo, a political scientist at Sungkyunkwan University. He said it was unlikely that the PRC, a member of the UN Security Council, would agree to any sanctions the US or Japan might propose. (return to top) Yonhap (“S. KOREA CALLS FOR DIPLOMATIC APPROACH TO N. KOREAN MISSILE ISSUE”, 2006-07-05) reported that the ROK on Wednesday urged its allies to cope with the DPRK’s latest missile launches in a cool-headed manner, questioning the usefulness of adopting a heavy-handed approach to the state. The security policy team at the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae said that the DPRK’s move was politically motivated, thus requiring a political and diplomatic response. (return to top)

2. Inter-Korean Relations

Chosun Ilbo (“MISSILE LAUNCH TO CHILL INTER-KOREAN TIES”, 2006-07-05) reported that the DPRK’s missile launches on Wednesday despite warnings from Seoul is likely to sour inter-Korean ties, freezing aid to Pyongyang and casting inter-Korean economic cooperation into doubt. Suh Choo-suk, the presidential secretary for security policy, said Wednesday it was “impossible for the missile launch to have no effect” on inter-Korean ties. “When it comes to details, we will discuss them as the situation progresses,” he added.

(return to top) Yonhap (“S. KOREAN COMPANIES RESPOND CAUTIOUSLY TO N. KOREA’S MISSILE LAUNCHES”, 2006-07-05) reported that the ROK’s business community on Wednesday voiced concerns that the launches of missiles by the DPRK could affect ongoing inter-Korean economic cooperation, but said their impact would not be big enough to change the overall course. (return to top) Yonhap (“GOV’T RECONSIDERING INTER-KOREAN MINISTERIAL TALKS AFTER N.K. MISSILE LAUNCH”, 2006-07-05) reported that the ROK government is weighing whether to hold inter-Korean ministerial talks as scheduled next week in the wake of the DPRK’s test-firing of missiles, officials said Wednesday. “We will make a decision on the matter, taking follow-up developments into consideration,” Lee Gwan-se, spokesman for the Unification Ministry, told reporters. “We have yet to make any contact with the North Korean side with regard to the upcoming ministerial talks,” Lee said. (return to top)

3. Inter-Korean Cultural Cooperation

Chosun Ilbo (“STONE MONUMENT RESTORED TO NORTH KOREA “, 2006-07-04) reported that a stone monument looted from Korea to Japan during the Russo-Japanese war a century ago has finally returned home. After numerous negotiations, Seoul got back the long-lost relic late last year, and delivered it to Pyongyang in March this year, to be returned to its original setting, now part of the DPRK. Pyongyang recently sent a videotape of the restoration ceremony.

(return to top)

4. DPRK Abduction Issue

Chosun Ilbo (“N. KOREA CLAMS UP ON S.KOREAN ABDUCTEES”, 2006-07-04) reported that the DPRK has rejected Seoul’s request to confirm whether three RO Koreans who were abducted by the DPRK decades ago are still alive. An official with the Unification Ministry says Pyongyang has recently informed the ministry that it is impossible to confirm the fate of the three RO Koreans. They are among five high school students believed to have been abducted by DPRK agents between 1977 and ‘78.

(return to top)

5. DPRK-PRC Relations

JoongAng Ilbo (“CHINA, NORTH SET HIGH-LEVEL VISITS”, 2006-07-04) reported that the DPRK and the PRC are set to exchange visits by top-level officials, which may give a much-needed boost to international efforts to resume the nuclear talks over Pyongyang’s nuclear program. Hui Liangyu, a PRC vice premier, will visit Pyongyang for four days starting next Monday, the PRC’s Foreign Ministry said yesterday. Mr. Hui is to lead a PRC delegation to mark the 45th anniversary of a treaty of friendship between the two nations, according to the ministry’s spokeswoman, Jiang Yu.

(return to top)

6. DPRK-Russia Energy Deal

Joong-Ang Ilbo (“RUSSIA TALKS WITH NORTH ABOUT DEAL FOR ENERGY”, 2006-07-05) reported that Russia has been in discussions with the DPRK to supply it with surplus electricity, Russian officials at a state-owned electric power company recently told the JoongAng Ilbo. In return, the DPRK would provide Russia with natural resources. According to Mr. Minakov, negotiations have been delayed because Russia initially asked the DPRK to pay cash for the electricity, and then asked it to cover the expenses for building power transmission lines, neither of which the DPRK could afford. However, the negotiations resumed after Pyongyang offered to pay for the electricity with natural mineral resources.

(return to top)

7. Japan-US Missile Defense Cooperation

Agence France-Presse (“JAPAN SEEN STEPPING UP MISSILE DEFENSES AFTER NKOREA TESTS “, 2006-07-05) reported that the DPRK’s missile tests will harden Japan’s resolve to build a joint missile defense program with the US amid rising fears about the threat from its hermitic neighbor, analysts say. Japan and the US signed an agreement in late June to allow them to jointly develop an advanced capability missile interceptor for the ballistic missile defense system.

(return to top)

8. ROK-Japan Territorial Dispute

Kyodo (“S. KOREA CONDUCTS SURVEY IN JAPAN-CLAIMED EEZ DESPITE PROTEST”, 2006-07-05) reported that the ROK conducted Wednesday its maritime survey in a Japan-claimed exclusive economic zone around a pair of disputed islets in the Sea of Japan despite Japan’s strong protest over the survey, prompting Tokyo to consider its own survey around the islets as a countermeasure. Foreign Minister Taro Aso filed a protest with ROK Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Ban Ki Moon over the survey in telephone talks and called for an early conclusion to bilateral negotiations on demarcating the EEZ near the islets, Foreign Ministry officials said.

(return to top)

9. PRC-India Trade Relations

Agence France-Presse (“CHINA, INDIA GEARING UP TO OPEN HISTORIC BORDER PASS “, 2006-07-05) reported that the PRC and India will reopen an historic trading route through Tibet that has been closed for 44 years, in a further sign of warming ties between the world’s two most populous nations. A study conducted by the Sikkim government said trade via the pass could reach 12 billion dollars by 2015.

(return to top)

10. PRC on Tibet

The Associated Press (“NO PROGRESS IN TIBET TALKS”, 2006-07-05) reported that talks between the PRC and envoys of the Dalai Lama have made “no substantial progress,” and the exiled Tibetan leader threatens the PRC’s unity and security, Tibet’s official leader charged Tuesday. Champa Phuntsok, the Beijing-appointed chairman of the Tibetan government, blamed the Dalai Lama for the lack of success in four rounds of talks.

(return to top)

11. PRC Demographic Change

The Los Angeles Times (“ORPHANS OF THE CHINESE ECONOMY”, 2006-07-05) reported that the “left-behind children” in the PRC’s countryside know their parents’ cellphone or factory dorm numbers by heart. But when they call them, the phones are usually turned off or ring on and on. As capitalism transforms this nominally communist nation, it has quietly reshaped the lives of the PRC’s rural young, creating a new underclass called liu shou er tong, or the “left-behind children.” An entire generation is growing up without parents in deserted villages populated mostly by the very young and elderly.

(return to top)