CONTENTS
1. Reactions to US Action in Afghanistan
2. ROK Support of US Military Action
3. PRC Support of US Military Action
4. Sino-US Talks
5. Anti-terrorism Campaign Effects in PRC
6. US Arms Sales to Taiwan
7. Japanese Support of US Military Action
8. Japanese Aid to Pakistan
9. Japanese Military Policy
10. Sino-Japanese Relations
II. ROK 1. Mt. Kumgang Talks
2. Reunions of Separated Families
3. Bilateral Military Talks
4. DPRK’s Stance on Terrorism
5. US State Department Terrorism Listing of DPRK
6. ROK Response to US Military Attacks
7. Fishing Dispute in Kurils
8. War Effect on Seoul Market
III. Japan 1. Japanese Regional Relations
2. Japan-Russia Fishing Dispute
I. United States
1. Reactions to US Action in Afghanistan
The Associated Press (Thomas Wagner, “ALLIES QUICK TO BACK U.S. ACTION,” Tokyo, 10/8/01) and the Washington Post (Steven Mufson and Alan Sipress, “US GAINS ALLIES’ SUPPORT; NATIONS WILLING TO COMMIT FORCES,” 10/8/01) reported that US allies around the world strongly supported the October 7 US-led attack on Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden ‘s terrorist network. However, the Muslim world was deeply divided Monday, with some countries opposing the assault and others setting off protests by backing it. In addition to the European Union, the US supporters included the PRC, Japan, the ROK, Australia, Russia, Pakistan, India, the Philippines, Taiwan, Israel, Thailand, Hungary, Poland, Albania, Singapore and Croatia. Canada, Australia, Italy and Germany agreed to US President George W. Bush’s request to contribute forces, and French Defense Minister Alain Richard indicated Monday that French special forces or intelligence agents were already on the ground in Afghanistan. Others granted air transit or landing rights, or were providing intelligence to help with the US-led global war against terrorism. The PRC, Indonesia and India backed the US-led battle against terrorism while urging the attacking forces to avoid hurting innocent civilians. [Ed. note: The Washington Post article appeared in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for October 8, 2001.]
2. ROK Support of US Military Action
Reuters (“S.KOREA BACKS U.S.-LED ATTACKS AGAINST AFGHANISTAN,” Seoul, 10/7/01) reported that the ROK announced strong support on Monday for the US-led military action against Afghanistan, and the ROK Defense Ministry ordered tightened security at key installations. ROK government spokesman Park Joon-young said, “The multinational military attacks led by the United States against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan are justified, and the government and the people of the Republic of Korea actively support this.” Park said that the ROK government will offer all necessary support and cooperation.
3. PRC Support of US Military Action
Reuters (“CHINA OFFERS CAUTIOUS ENDORSEMENT OF STRIKES,” Beijing, 10/7/01) reported that the PRC offered a cautious endorsement of October 7 US-British attacks on Afghanistan, calling for strictly targeted strikes to avoid civilian casualties. The official Xinhua news agency on Monday quoted a foreign ministry spokesman condemning terror “of any form” and said that the PRC hoped for peace as soon as possible. The official also said, “China opposes terrorism of any form, hoping that relevant military strikes on terrorism should be targeted at specific objectives, so as to avoid hurting innocent civilians. China hopes that peace be resumed as soon as possible.” The spokesman said the PRC supported “relevant resolutions” passed by the UN General Assembly and the Security Council. Diplomats in Beijing said the PRC may grudgingly accept Japan’s military involvement in return for conciliatory gestures on Japanese wartime aggression. Koizumi said after the strikes against Afghanistan he would go ahead with the planned one-day trip to the PRC.
4. Sino-US Talks
Reuters (“US OFFICIAL IN CHINA TO PREPARE FOR BUSH VISIT,” Beijing, 10/8/01) reported that US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs James Kelly arrived in the PRC on Monday for talks to pave the way for US President George W. Bush’s visit to Shanghai for the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit later this month. Kelly said, “I am here to discuss bilateral affairs with the Chinese and, in particular, President Bush’s priorities for his upcoming visit to Shanghai for the APEC leaders’ meeting. We’ll of course be focusing in those discussions on the global response to terrorism with many other detailed issues as well.” Kelly said he would also discuss missile defense and non-proliferation issues. He added, “A second phase is to continue the briefings and consultations with the Chinese side in the matter of strategic weapons framework and missile defense.” Bush is expected to meet PRC President Jiang Zemin for the first time at the October 20-21 APEC summit.
5. Anti-terrorism Campaign Effects in PRC
Reuters (Jeremy Page, “MUSLIMS FEAR BACKLASH IN CHINA’S RESTIVE NORTHWEST,” Beijing, 10/6/01) reported that the PRC has backed the US- led war on terror but PRC analysts say it wants support for a campaign against what it sees as its greatest militant threat – Uighurs fighting for an independent homeland in Xinjiang. Zhu Feng, director of the International Security Program at Peking University, said, “This is a very good opportunity to intensify the fight against separatists in Xinjiang. China is also a victim of terrorism. There is a connection between Xinjiang separatists and terrorists in Afghanistan. Some separatists got training in Afghanistan and then were dispatched into China.” Dru Gladney, an expert on Chinese Muslims and professor of Asian Studies at the University of Hawaii, said, “I don’t think there’s a strong ideological appeal in the Taliban and the Islamic shariah law for Uighurs in general. Very few of them would be attracted to radical Islam unless they were pushed in that direction by extreme government policies or ethnic tensions.” Experts said that the PRC’s roughly eight million Uighurs are mainly Sunni Muslims, like the Taliban, but many are Sufi, a tolerant form of Islamic mysticism which the Taliban opposes. Experts said that US attacks on Afghanistan alone would not unleash a “jihad” – holy struggle – in Xinjiang, but a simultaneous crackdown on Chinese Muslims in the name of counter-terrorism could provoke a backlash.
6. US Arms Sales to Taiwan
Agence France Presse (“POWELL PLEDGES CONTINUED ARMS AID TO TAIPEI,” 10/5/01) reported that US Secretary of State Colin Powell said that PRC assistance in a US-led anti-terrorism coalition would in no way affect US policy towards Taiwan, including arms sales to the island. Powell said, “Those who depend on us to some extent for their sense of security like Taiwan should have no fear that somehow their sense of security has been or will be weakened.” Despite PRC denials that it had demanded reduced US arms sales to Taiwan in exchange for its cooperation against terrorism, many in Taiwan remain concerned.
7. Japanese Support of US Military Action
Reuters (“JAPAN PM BACKS U.S. RAIDS, TIGHTENS SECURITY,” 10/8/01) reported that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Monday announced strong support for the US-British military action against Afghanistan and ordered a tightening of security. Koizumi said he was informed of the US plan by Secretary of State Colin Powell. He said, “I told President Bush that Japan strongly supports the U.S. attack and we must cooperate with each other and fight against terrorism dauntlessly.” Japan’s Chief government spokesman Yasuo Fukuda said security would be stepped up at key strategic sites but the Self Defense Force would not be involved. Some officials had called for the military to help police. Fukuda added that the government was opening an emergency anti-terrorism headquarters to cope with any attacks in Japan.
8. Japanese Aid to Pakistan
Reuters (“JAPAN MILITARY AIRCRAFT HEAD TO PAKISTAN WITH AID,” Tokyo, 10/7/01) reported that Japan dispatched six C-130H military transport aircraft to Pakistan on Sunday to airlift relief supplies to Afghan refugees fleeing the threat of US military action. The transport aircraft, carrying relief supplies including 200 blankets and 315 tents as well as some 150 military personnel, left the southern Japanese island of Okinawa. Japan decided to provide relief aid to Pakistan in response to requests from the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
9. Japanese Military Policy
Reuters (“JAPAN CABINET APPROVES BILL TO HELP U.S. ACTION,” 10/5/01) and the Wall Street Journal (Peter Landers, “JAPANESE CABINET IS POISED TO EASE CURBS ON MILITARY,” Tokyo, 10/5/01) reported that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s cabinet endorsed on October 5 a bill that would allow Japan’s military to give logistical support to any US military retaliation for last month’s attacks on New York and Washington. Koizumi told parliament after his cabinet approved the draft law, “Japan, as a member of the international community, must enact the new law to eradicate terrorism.” Under the legislation, the Japanese government wants to dispatch military forces to provide rearguard logistics support such as medical services and supplies as well as humanitarian aid for refugees. Although the draft bill, effective for two years and extendable for up to two more years, would bar Japan from supplying weapons and ammunition, it would allow Japan’s military to transport such items. The bill would also allow Japan’s military to operate in non-combat zones abroad should the countries concerned approve of such activity. Japan sent several C-130 transport planes to Pakistan on Saturday to take supplies to Afghan refugees fleeing the threat of US military action. The departure of the six planes marked the first time that Japanese military planes have taken part in a UN-led humanitarian relief mission since November 1999. Japan is also considering the dispatch of naval vessels to the Indian Ocean under the rubric of information gathering and research as allowed under existing law. [Ed. note: The Washington Post article appeared in the US Department of Defense’s Early news service for October 5.]
10. Sino-Japanese Relations
The Associated Press (“JAPANESE PRIME MINISTER TOURS WAR MEMORIAL HALL IN CHINA,” Beijing, 10/8/01) reported that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi laid a wreath at a PRC war memorial Monday. Under heavy security, Koizumi went straight from a Beijing airport to the Marco Polo Bridge on the city’s outskirts, site of a July 1937 battle that marked the start of Japan’s conquest of much of China. He then visited a nearby memorial hall for the 1937-1945 struggle, which the PRC calls the War of Anti-Japanese Resistance. Koizumi was the second Japanese prime minister to see the hall but the first to lay a wreath. Koizumi stressed that Japan and the PRC must contribute to the multinational fight against terrorism organized by the US in the wake of the September 11 attacks. Koizumi hopes to convince PRC leaders that proposed changes in the legal status of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces do not threaten its neighbors. The official Xinhua News Agency said he met PRC President Jiang Zemin and Premier Zhu Rongji during his one-day visit Monday, but gave no immediate details.
II. ROK
1. Mt. Kumgang Talks
Joongang Ilbo (Lee Young-jong, “KUMGANG PARLEYS ON TOURISM HIT OBSTACLES”, Seoul, 10/05/01) reported that DPRK and ROK on Thursday struggled to narrow their differences on ways to reactivate tourism at Mount Kumgang. Cho Myoung-gyon, chief delegate from the ROK, made three proposals in his keynote speech during the general meeting. He called for the opening of an overland tourist route to the mountain and the designation of the area surrounding the mountain as a special tourist zone, as was reconfirmed during inter-Korean ministerial talks last month. He also proposed holding working-level military talks at an early date to discuss construction in the Demilitarized Zone separating the two Koreas. Cho suggested temporarily repairing and reconnecting severed roads leading to the mountain to test the possibilities of overland tourism while paving a permanent two-lane road in the vicinity. An unnamed ROK delegate to the talks stated, “The North is mulling over the separation of roles between private and public sectors for the reactivation of tourism and the importance that the Mount Kumgang area holds for the military and the environment.” The DPRK proposed the establishment of a separate institution with the participation of government officials from the ROK to possibly work on the reactivation of tourism with the DPRK’s Asia-Pacific Peace Committee.
2. Reunions of Separated Families
Choongang Ilbo (staff reporter, “DPRK AND ROK TO EXCHANGE FAMILY LIST MONDAY,” 10/07/01) reported that the DPRK and the ROK on Monday would exchange the list of 200 family members from each side for the fourth family reunion. The ROK’s list was to include the candidates who were dropped out in the second and third family reunion along with additional information of the existence of the family members. Already 18 people among the 200 have passed away during the past few months. The Korean National Red Cross (KNRC) of both the DPRK and the ROK will select the members, putting priority on direct family lines and age.
3. Bilateral Military Talks
The Korea Herald (Staff reporter, “SEOUL OFFER MILITARY DIALOGUE WITH DPRK,” 10/08/01) reported that the ROK Defense Ministry has proposed resuming contact with the DPRK military to discuss construction work on a cross-border railway project within the Demilitarized Zone. The ROK Defense Ministry said it sent a telegram to DPRK People’s Army on October 6, proposing that their representatives hold two rounds of talks Sept. 12 and 15. The militaries of the two Koreas agreed in February on an accord aimed at preventing accidental clashes during work inside the DMZ, a buffer zone separating the two sides. However, the DPRK has since refused to formally sign the accord amid tension with the US.
4. DPRK’s Stance on Terrorism
Joongang Ilbo (Kim Hee-sung, “DPRK EXPRESS REGRET TOWARD U.S. TERROR AT UN ASSEMBLY,” 10/07/01) reported that DPRK officially expressed regret toward the September 11 terror attacks in the US during the United Nations General Assembly and called for appropriate countermeasures to combat the crime for the first time. During the UN General Assembly to discuss elimination of international terrorism, the representative from the DPRK, Ri Hyong-chol officially disclosed last Friday the DPRK’s rejection toward all kinds of terrorism. Ri added however, that it would be wrong to unfairly brand certain nations as being responsible for terror attacks and crush them with all kinds of sanctions and incursions. “Such would be another kind of terrorism one country commits to the other that also holds sovereign rights,” he said. Although Ri’s speech was positive in respect to the DPRK joining with other UN nations, other officials pointed out that it lacked in depth and lasted just three minutes.
5. US State Department Terrorism Listing of DPRK
Joongang Ilbo (Staff reporter, “DPRK REMAINS A TERROR-STATE, U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT ANNOUNCES,” 10/07/01) reported that the US State Department revealed on October 5 that the DPRK would remain listed as one of the terror supporting nations. Richard Boucher, department spokesman, explained that the removal of the Japanese Red Army (JRA) from the list does not affect the current status of DPRK. Because the 1970 hijacking carried out by five JRA members still remains a criminal act, the issue of the DPRK providing a safe habor to them still needs to be addressed.
6. ROK Response to US Military Attacks
Joongang Ilbo (Kim Hee-sung, “PRESIDENT KIM CALLS FOR FIVE-POINT INSTRUCTION IN THE WAKE OF WAR,” 10/08/01) reported that ROK announced its decision to support US military action against Afghanistan and offer all necessary support and cooperation in the wake of US strikes on Monday. ROK President Kim Dae-jung convened an immediate National Security Council and expressed full support for multinational military attacks against the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. In the meeting he gave out a five- point-instruction in preparations during the war abroad that included 1) maintaining normal inter-Korean relations, 2) thorough checking of buildings likely to become the target of terror including the U.S. military facilities nationwide and skyscrapers, 3) full protection of Arabs and their facilities, 4) provision of long-term anti-terror education to the public and 5) transparent disclosure of economic conditions in order to earn public cooperation. Kim added, “However it is terror we despise not the Muslims. We also need to come up with an appropriate long-term public education program against terrorism instead of temporary eye-catching measures.” Meanwhile Kim also underscored the need to remain cool in resuming the inter-Korean affairs. Kim said, “During the Cabinet meeting the officials concluded that it is still desirable to continue the schedule for inter-Korean family reunion and other series of talks with North Korea as usual.” ROK Unification Minister Hong Soon-young decided to install a special body to analyze the new war’s effect on the future inter-Korean ties.
7. Fishing Dispute in Kurils
The Korea Herald (Hwang Jang-jin, “SEOUL VOWS ACTION IF RUSSIA, JAPAN BAN FISHING IN KURILS,” 10/08/01) reported that the ROK government will protest strongly if Russia and Japan ban other nations from fishing in the waters near the Kuril islands. Japanese media reported that Russia and Japan had reached a tentative agreement under which Russia will deny fishing rights to ROK and other nations in the Russian-held waters which is also claimed by Japan. The issue will be discussed during a Russian- Japanese vice-minister level meeting to be held Tuesday in Tokyo. About 30 percent of the ROK’s saury catch comes from the Kuril waters. The fishing dispute is expected to have a negative effect on a meeting between ROK President Kim Dae-jung and Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on October 15 in Seoul.
8. War Effect on Seoul Market
The Korea Herald (Staff reporter, “SEOUL STOCK MARKET LIKELY TO BE AFFECTED BY IMMINENT U.S. WAR AGAINST TERRORISM,” 10/08/01) reported that analysts said that the ROK stock market will be hit badly by the fallout from the imminent US war against terrorism this week. Market attention will be fixed on how the US military strike develops. Last week, the main bourse index dramatically rebounded to the 500-point level, largely thanks to heavy buying by foreign investors. However, some positive factors emerged, including the subsiding of investor jitters caused by the terrorist attacks in the US subsided and return of overseas markets. This week is expected to see volatile trading, as investors will respond to the US reprisal.
III. Japan
1. Japanese Regional Relations
Financial Times (Ken Hijino and Andrew Ward, “TOKYO MAKES EFFORT TO REPAIR REGIONAL RELATIONS,” Tokyo and Seoul, 10/05/01, 14) reported that Junichiro Koizumi, Japanese prime minister, is to visit the PRC and the ROK in an attempt to repair damaged relations and consolidate support for Japan’s decision to pledge military assistance to the US-led war against terrorism. Koizumi was to meet PRC President Jiang Zemin on Monday in Beijing and ROK President Kim Dae-jung in Seoul a week later, said Yasuo Fukuda, Japanese chief cabinet secretary. On Thursday, the DPRK accused Japan of “aggressive re-militarization” that might force it to reconsider its moratorium on missile tests.
2. Japan-Russia Fishing Dispute
Yomiuri Shinbun (“JAPAN AND RUSSIA AGREED NOT TO GIVE THE THIRD COUNTRY THE RIGHT FOR SAURY FISHERY AROUND THE NORTHERN TERRITORIES,” 10/06/01, 2) reported that Japan and Russia basically agreed not to permit the third country to operate fishery around the Northern Territories on and after the next year. However, Russia demanded implicitly that Japan consider Japanese-Russian joint measures against poaching. If Russia demands the additional conditions for the final agreement on saury fishery around the Northern Territories, the final consultation for the agreement might have a hard time, the article said.
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