NAPSNet Daily Report 2 November, 2010

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"NAPSNet Daily Report 2 November, 2010", NAPSNet Daily Report, November 02, 2010, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-daily-report/napsnet-daily-report-2-november-2010/

NAPSNet Daily Report 2 November, 2010

Previous day’s Issue

Contents in this Issue:

1. US-DPRK Relations

Yonhap News (“U.S. EXPERT VISITS N. KOREA AMID STALLED NUCLEAR TALKS”, 2010/11/02) reported that a well-known American expert on the DPRK, who served as Washington’s envoy in negotiations with Pyongyang, arrived in the communist nation Tuesday, according to the DPRK’s state media, a trip that could be used to gauge the prospects of resuming international nuclear talks. Charles Pritchard, president of the U.S.-based Korea Economic Institute (KEI), arrived in Pyongyang, the DPRK’s official Korean Central News Agency said in a brief dispatch without giving further details. A diplomatic source in Seoul said Pritchard plans to stay in the DPRK for three or four days for meetings with DPRK officials, which are expected to include discussions on the stalled six-party nuclear talks. He is scheduled to visit ROK early next week for discussions on his DPRK trip, the source said on condition of anonymity.

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/national/2010/11/02/79/0301000000AEN20101102008300315F.HTML

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2. DPRK on Chenoan Evidence

Agence-France-Presse (Lim Chang-Won, “N.KOREA WITH TORPEDO SAMPLE OVER SUNKEN SHIP”, Seoul, 2010/11/02) reported that the DPRK said Tuesday it was ready to provide torpedo samples to back up its denial of responsibility for the deadly sinking of an ROK warship. It said aluminium alloy fragments salvaged by the ROK from the site of the sinking in March “prove, themselves, that the torpedo was not from the North”. DPRK torpedoes are “made of steel alloy material” not the aluminium alloy used in other countries, said the country’s top ruling body, the National Defence Commission. http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20101102/wl_asia_afp/skoreankoreamilitarytorpedo_20101102113843;_ylt=AqT4cIgPLskekpn0NFbeboEBS5Z4

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3. DPRK on Missile Development

Agence-France-Presse (“N KOREA SEEKS TO DEVELOP SMALLER NUCLEAR WARHEADS: MINISTER”, Seoul, 2010/11/02) reported that the DPRK is trying to develop small nuclear weapons that can be delivered by missiles or aircraft, ROK’s Defence Minister said on Tuesday. Kim Tae-Young told lawmakers the DPRK is “constantly seeking to make its nuclear weapons smaller” for possible future delivery by ballistic missiles or bombers. Kim said the DPRK is also believed to have 40 kg of bomb-making plutonium, slightly less than previous estimates by the United States. He said it is “quite possible” that Pyongyang is also building nuclear weapons through uranium enrichment in addition to its plutonium operation. http://www.hindustantimes.com/N-Korea-seeks-to-develop-smaller-nuclear-warheads-minister/Article1-621220.aspx

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4. ROK-India on Nuclear Deal

Hindustan Times (“SOUTH KOREA ENTERS INDIAN CIVIL NUCLEAR MARKET AS FIRST ASIAN PLAYER”, 2010/11/02) reported that India and the ROK have reached an agreement on civil nuclear co-operation. After the meeting between India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and ROK President Lee Myung-bak, National Security Advisor Shivhankar Menon said: We have finalised an agreement on cooperation in civil nuclear energy which now awaits signature.” the ROK’s government has supported India’s efforts in the field since 2008 with the Asian country keen to compete with major international players such as France’s Areva. http://www.ifandp.com/article/007926.html

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5. PRC, US on Islands Dispute

Associated Press (CHI-CHI ZHANG, “CHINA OBJECTS TO US OFFER OVER DISPUTED ISLANDS “, Beijing, 2010/11/02) reported that the PRC rejected Tuesday a U.S. offer to broker three-way talks with Japan over disputed islands in the East China Sea, prompting Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to reiterate the proposal.Clinton’s offer, first made last week, thrust the U.S. into a long-standing territorial disagreement that flared anew recently and has strained often uneasy relations between the PRC and Japan, the world’s second and third largest economies. The dispute over the islands remains an issue for the PRC and Japan alone to deal with, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Ma Zhaoxu said in a statement. While he did not mention Clinton by name, Ma particularly savaged her suggestion that the U.S. security treaty with Tokyo covers the islands — which the PRC calls the Diaoyu and Japan the Senkaku. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101102/ap_on_re_as/as_china_disputed_islands_2

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