NAPSNet Daily Report 07 December, 1999

 
CONTENTS

I. United States

II. Russian Federation

III. Book Announcement

I. United States

1. DPRK-ROK Relations

Associated Press (John Leicester, “NORTH KOREA WANTS ‘WALL’ TORN DOWN,” Beijing, 12/07/99) reported that DPRK Ambassador to the PRC Chu Chang-jun on Tuesday accused the ROK of erecting a wall along the Demilitarized Zone in an effort to keep the Korean peninsula divided. Chu described the wall as made of reinforced concrete, 150 miles long (the width of the Korean Peninsula), 16 to 26 feet tall, 33 to 62 feet wide at the base and 9 to 23 feet wide at the top. Chu continued, “It totally cuts across eight counties, 122 villages, three main railways, three highways and 220-odd small and medium roads. The South Korean authorities built up the unprecedentedly gigantic wall of division under the outside force’s patronage and instigation. This behavior is the never-to-be pardoned criminal act against reunification and the nation.” Chu also said that all Koreans, whether from the DPRK, the ROK, or from overseas, “demand immediate dismantling of the cursed reinforced concrete wall which artificially bisects the nation that had lived in harmony generation after generation.” ROK Embassy spokesman Wi Keyei-chul dismissed Chu’s statement as “just propaganda.” Shinya Kato, a DPRK watcher at Tokyo’s North Korean Press, said, “there are concrete barriers, but they are not so big as described.”

2. US-DPRK Relations

The Associated Press (“ROGER CLINTON MEETS N. KOREA LEADER,” Seoul, 12/07/99) reported that the DPRK’s Korean Central News Agency said that Roger Clinton, US President Bill Clinton’s half-brother, met Kim Yong-nam, head of the Workers’ Party on Monday. Clinton attended a reception given by the Korean Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, which sponsored his concert along with several ROK pop stars. US Defense Secretary William Cohen stated, “To the extent that [the DPRK] have public sentiments and statements [that they want to improve relations with the US] and follow it up with meaningful concrete actions, all of us will benefit from their becoming part of and fully integrated into the international community.” He added, “This is going to take some time. It’s a step by step process. And we will witness it to see if their words are in fact matched by deeds.”

3. DPRK Participation in World Cup

The Associated Press (Eric Talmadge, “NORTH KOREA EYED FOR WORLD CUP 2002,” Tokyo, 12/07/99) reported that Sepp Blatter, president of the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA), said Tuesday that the ROK has offered to allow the DPRK to host two of the 32 games it was allocated in a co-hosting arrangement with Japan for the 2002 World Cup. Blatter said that the DPRK has indicated it will not field a team of its own because soccer officials there believe they do not have a team of high enough standards, but that FIFA would still consider the possibility of bringing the DPRK into the hosting arrangement. Blatter stated, “This question is still open. We will do it for better understanding between peoples, but FIFA will never interfere in politics.” Blatter said he is planning to visit the DPRK next April.

4. PRC Nuclear Capabilities

Washington Times (Bill Gertz, “WHITE HOUSE SAYS U.S. FORCE IS MATCH FOR NEW CHINESE SUB,” 12/07/99, 3) and Reuters (“U.S. SAYS ABLE TO COUNTER CHINESE NUCLEAR FORCES,” Washington, 12/07/99) reported that the US government said on December 6 that it was aware of PRC plans to modernize its nuclear forces over the next decade and more than ready to defend the US against them. White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said that he could not comment on the intelligence reports cited in the Washington Times article [Ed. note: see Daily Report for December 6, 1999] but said, “we believe that we have a superior – a clearly superior – nuclear force and understand the threat and have the ability and the resources to address it. Broadly speaking we know that China is expected to deploy a more modern nuclear force in the decade ahead and in the same broad context, there is no indication that China is using U.S. technology in its deployed nuclear forces.” [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for December 7.]

Agence France Presse (“CHINA TO TEST JL-2 MISSILE CAPABLE OF HITTING LONDON, NEW YORK,” Beijing, 12/07/99) reported that foreign military experts in the PRC said Tuesday that a test of the PRC’s Julang 2 (JL- 2) missile is “imminent.” The JL-2 is a second generation Julang that could be equipped with a small nuclear warhead. The Julang-1 was tested successfully in the 1980s from Soviet-powered Golf submarines, and from the Xia, believed to be the PRC navy’s only nuclear-powered submarine. Jane’s Defense Weekly’s Asian correspondent Robert Karniol stated, “It was generally held that (a JL-2 launch) would be from the Golf, but it could also be from a submarine platform or an upgrade of the Xia.” If the JL-2 test is successful, Karniol said, “China will have made a significant step in the modernization process of its nuclear force, it will give her a second strike capability if a nuclear war starts.” Some experts believe the JL-2 will be equipped with a 2.5 megaton warhead, while others believe the warhead will be 10 times less powerful. US experts believe the JL-2 is equipped with technology adapted from the Trident D-5, the most modern US missile equipped with W-88 miniature nuclear warheads.

Agence France Presse (“TAIWAN CONFIRMS CHINA BUILDING NEW NUCLEAR SUBMARINE,” Taipei, 12/07/99) reported that Taiwan Major General Chao Lien-ti confirmed on Tuesday that the PRC was building a new type of nuclear submarine. Chao stated, “judging from its research and development process, the submarine is scheduled to be put into service in the year 2005.”

Reuters (“CHINA CALLS NUCLEAR SUBMARINE REPORT A FABRICATION,” Beijing, 12/07/99) reported that PRC Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue on Tuesday dismissed the Washington Times report that the PRC was working on a new nuclear submarine. Zhang stated, “I have seen these reports and I think they have been fabricated out of ulterior motives. The basic national defense capability that China is developing is purely for the purposes of defense. There are some media which constantly play up the threat of China. This sort of action will have no result.”

5. US-PRC Relations

Reuters (“CHINA DEMANDS U.S. REVOKE SANCTIONS OVER RELIGION,” Beijing, 12/07/99) reported that PRC Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue demanded on Tuesday that the US withdraw newly imposed economic sanctions against the PRC’s alleged religious persecution. Zhang said, “The Chinese government and people express their strong indignation over this. The Chinese side demands that the U.S. side correct its mistake immediately, and reverse its decision.” Zhang added that the sanctions had an adverse impact on bilateral ties. The US decided on October to extend sanctions placed shortly after the Tiananmen protests in 1989.

6. Russian President’s PRC Visit

Reuters (Mike Collett-White, “YELTSIN CHINA TRIP SEEN AS ‘SNUB’ TO HOSTILE WEST,” Moscow, 12/07/99) reported that Russian President Boris Yeltsin will flying to the PRC on December 8. The Russian newspaper Vremya MN said, “To hug the Chinese friend in front of the whole world now amounts to cocking a snook at Russia’s other friends who have been behaving strangely lately.” A Russian source told Reuters that political motives were certainly behind Yeltsin’s decision to visit the PRC. The source said, “the mood in the Kremlin is that, amid difficult relations with the West over Chechnya, Russia must strengthen its position in the East. We should remember that we are in pre- election mode, and people want to see some good news on the foreign policy front.” Russia votes for a new parliament on December 19. PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhang Qiyue said on Tuesday that the PRC backed Russia’s military campaign in Chechnya. Zhang said the operation was an effort to maintain national unity and territorial integrity.

7. US Bases on Okinawa

The Washington Post (Doug Struck, “AMERICANS CONQUERED, NOW DIVIDE OKINAWA,” Henoko, 12/07/99, 21) reported that the Japanese government hopes that its plan to move the US Marine Corps’ Futenma Air Base to Henoko, Okinawa will be approved before the summit of the Group of Eight (G-8) in Nago next July. While Japanese government officials have insisted that there is no connection between the decision to hold the summit in Nago and the decision to move the base to Henoko, Hiroshi Ashitome, leader of a citizen’s group opposed to the base relocation stated, “It’s a bribe. It’s very clear today that the reason they brought the summit to Nago was to buy support for moving the base.” Zenko Nakamura, member of a group opposed to the US base, stated, “There is anger at both the Japanese and American governments. Why should all the bases be forced on Okinawa?” [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for December 7.]

II. Russian Federation

1. RF President’s PRC Visit

Nezavisimaia Gazeta (“PREPARATIONS FOR YELTSIN’S VISIT ARE BEING COMPLETED IN BEIJING”, Moscow, 1, 12/01/99) reported that a team of RF Presidential Administration officials went to the PRC to complete preparations for RF President Boris Yeltsin’s informal visit to the PRC, which is planned for the first week of December. Yeltsin will meet PRC Chairman Jiang Zemin. Despite Yeltsin’s recent hospitalization, the team has not received instructions to stop the preparations.

Izvestia (Vladimir Dunayev, “YELTSIN PLANS TO VISIT CHINA AND PALESTINE”, Moscow, 7, 12/07/99) reported that RF President Boris Yeltsin will leave on December 8 for the second informal RF-PRC summit in the PRC. According to Sergey Prikhodko, Deputy Head of the RF delegation, the visit will last for two days.

2. RF Smuggling to the PRC

Segodnya (Yevgeny Lents, “SECRETS FROM A WASTE HEAP”, Moscow, 4, 12/7/99) reported that RF Far Eastern counterintelligence officers on December 3 detained a local businessmen who was trying to sell “supersecret electronic control unit” used for Su-27 and MiG-31 aircraft to some “interested Chinese persons.” The businessmen, identified only as Mr. N, said he had found “those things at a nearby waste dump and decided to make small money.” He wanted to sell the equipment for US$200,000, though experts say the actual price is three times higher. RF Federal Security Service officers were monitoring the man for a month hoping to find the customers. They are sure that PRC intelligence is involved in the case, but due to a middleman’s disappearance a couple of days prior to the planned delivery, they had to detain Mr. N. They also found out that contrary to his story the equipment was stolen from an Air Force unit deployed near Khabarovsk. Another similar piece of equipment was stolen there a year ago.

3. RF Anti-Terror Operation

Nezavisimaia Gazeta (G.F., “TERRORIST ATTACK PREVENTED IN THE FAR EAST”, Moscow, 12/4/99, 2) reported that RF Sakhalin Region Organized Crime Fighting Directorate policemen discovered a kilogram of ammonite explosive planted at a railroad bridge support base in the city of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk during a country-wide “Vykhr- Antiterror” [“Whirlwind – Anti-Terror”] operation. The amount would have been enough to destroy the bridge.

4. PRC Immigration to Hong Kong

Izvestia (“P.R.C. CITIZENS RUSH TO HONG KONG”, Moscow, 4, 12/4/99) reported that after Hong Kong was returned to the RPC, PRC citizens have been trying to settle there due to its higher standard or living. PRC police attempts to stop the inflow to the overpopulated city have raised violent protests against the police.

5. ROK Premier Plans to Retire

Nezavisimaia Gazeta (M.O., “PREMIER OF SOUTH KOREA IS TO RETIRE”, Moscow, 12/01/99, 6) reported that ROK Premier Kim Jong-pil announced his intention to retire before the end of 1999. His resignation is to help ROK President Kim Dae-jung lower the existing social tension concerning the ruling coalition caused by a number of scandals.

III. Book Announcement

1. The North Korean Nuclear Program

Routledge has published “The North Korean Nuclear Program,” edited by James Clay Moltz and Alexandre Y. Mansourov. Drawing on previously unpublished Russian archival materials, this book is the first detailed history and current analysis of the DPRK nuclear program. The contributors discuss Soviet-DPRK nuclear relations, economic and military aspects of the nuclear program, the nuclear energy sector, the DPRK’s negotiations with the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization, cooperative security, and U.S. policy. Focusing on DPRK attitudes and perspectives, this book also includes Russian interviews with DPRK officials.

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Produced by the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable Development in partnership with:
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Timothy L. Savage: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

Gee Gee Wong: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

Kim Hee-sun: khs688@hotmail.com
Seoul, Republic of Korea

Hiroyasu Akutsu: akutsu@glocomnet.or.jp
Tokyo, Japan

Peter Razvin: icipu@glas.apc.org
Moscow, Russian Federation

Chunsi Wu: dlshen@fudan.ac.cn
Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

Dingli Shen: dlshen@fudan.ac.cn
Shanghai, People’s Republic of China

Leanne Paton: anjlcake@webtime.com.au
Clayton, Australia