CONTENTS
1. DMZ Military Incident
2. DPRK Development Policy
3. DPRK Weapons Program
4. PRC View of Taiwan Elections
II. Republic of Korea 1. DPRK-Australia Relations
2. DPRK Arms Sales to Egypt
3. ROK Medical Support in Afghanistan
III. Japan 1. Japanese Logistical Support for US
2. ROK Missile Misfiring
3. Tanaka’s Visit to Pakistan
I. United States
1. DMZ Military Incident
The Associated Press (“KOREAS EXCHANGE FIRE AT BORDER, BUT NO CASUALTIES ARE REPORTED,” Seoul, 11/27/01) reported that UN officials were investigating a brief exchange of gunfire across the border between DPRK and the ROK on Tuesday. The ROK office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement that two or three shots were fired from a DPRK guard post inside the 2.5 mile-wide Demilitarized Zone. The ROK military said there were no reports of injuries during the shooting. The military said it appeared the DPRK fired first. A shot from the DPRK broke a window at an ROK guard post, and another hit a wire fence, but there were no ROK soldiers injured. ROK officials said that ROK guards broadcast warnings and fired back about 15 rounds. There were no reports of injuries on the DPRK side. Noting that the DPRK fire did not last, the ROK military said it did not appear to be an intentional attack.
2. DPRK Development Policy
Agence France-Presse (C.W. Lim, “NORTH KOREAN LEADER LAUNCHES NEW REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENT,” Seoul, 11/26/01) reported that the DPRK’s Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said Monday that DPRK leader Kim Jong-Il has launched a new development movement, dubbed “Ranam.” KCNA said that the new movement was prompted by “miracles” performed by workers at the Ranam Coal Mining Machine Complex in the northeastern port of Chongjin. Ranam workers were praised for advancing the production of equipment dramatically through technical innovation and the utilization of waste material, despite a lack of food, raw materials and electricity. Kim was touched by their “revolutionary militant spirit,” and has ordered a drive to build “a people’s paradise on this land at an early date.” The report said, “The torchlight Kim Jong-Il lit in Ranam is calling on the whole party and country and all the people to effect fresh leap and innovation in the general advance to build a powerful nation in the new century.” Oh Seung-yul, a DPRK expert at the ROK’s Korea Institute for National Unification, said that the DPRK policy priority this year had shifted to economic development now that attempts to improve relations with the ROK had become deadlocked.
3. DPRK Weapons Program
The Associated Press (Ron Fournier, “BUSH WARNS IRAQ, N.KOREA ON WEAPONS,” Washington, 11/27/01) reported that US President George W. Bush said that the US-led war in Afghanistan is just the beginning of the fight against terrorism. He warned Iraq and the DPRK that if countries “develop weapons of mass destruction that will be used to terrorize nations, they will be held accountable.” However, US White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said that Bush was relating long-held views, not suggesting new policy or signaling post-Afghanistan plans. Bush said that the leaders of the DPRK must allow nuclear inspectors in if they want good relations with the US. “And they ought to stop proliferating,” Bush said, adding that “part of the war on terror is to deny terrorists weapons.”
4. PRC View of Taiwan Elections
Reuters (Jeremy Page, “BEIJING RELAXED ABOUT TAIWAN VOTE, SCHOLARS SAY,” Xiamen, 11/27/01) reported that top PRC scholars said that the PRC is confident that the outcome of Taiwan’s parliamentary elections will be more of the legislative gridlock that has stymied Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian. Scholars from the Taiwan Research Institute of Xiamen University said that they did not believe Chen’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) would pick up more than nine seats in parliament, bringing its total in the 225-seat chamber to 75. The main opposition Nationalist Party would lose some 25 of its 110 seats, but would remain the largest party in parliament and able to thwart Chen’s legislative agenda. Fan Xizhou, director of the institute, said, “According to our current forecasts, the Nationalists remain the largest party. This election will basically not cause any direct threat to the stability of the Asia Pacific, and cross-Strait relations, so it should be relatively calm.” Scholars said that the PRC would continue its policy of refusing to deal directly with the DPP while expanding links with the opposition and promoting economic ties across the Taiwan Strait. The researchers said that if Chen’s party did become the largest in parliament, the Nationalists might possibly split up. Fan said, “We will have to wait until after the election and see the result to know whether the Nationalists split and to what extent they will split. If the Nationalists lose their position as the largest party, and Lien Chan resigns as a result, then the threat to the Nationalists is very serious.” However, Fan said that there would be no direct contact with Chen unless he met the PRC demand that he recognize the “one China” principle.
II. Republic of Korea
1. DPRK-Australia Relations
Joongang Ilbo (Lee Young-jong, “NORTH HITS AT TRUCE BODY,” Seoul, 11/27/01) reported that a high-ranking ROK government official said on November 26 that the DPRK has asked Australia to quit the Military Armistice Commission (MAC) that formally supervises the Korean truce. “Ryu Yong-chol, vice director of the North Korean Ministry of People’s Armed Forces, made the request to a high- ranking Australian diplomat October 23 in Beijing,” the official said. “It is not known how the Australian counterpart responded.” Ryu reportedly contended that since the DPRK and Australia enjoy normal diplomatic relations, Australia should not serve its term on the MAC.
2. DPRK Arms Sales to Egypt
Joongang Ilbo (“U.S. OUT TO CONFIRM REPORTS OF EGYPT’S MISSILE PURCHASE,” Seoul, 11/27/01) reported that the US will confirm the latest report from the ROK newspaper Joongang Ilbo that disclosed Egypt’s purchase of missiles from the DPRK early this year. A high-level official of the US State Department said, “We believe we should hear what Egypt has to say regarding the latest report on armament transactions with the North and confirm the fact.” Joongang Ilbo earlier cited an anonymous military analyst who said that the DPRK concluded the selling of 24 Rodong missiles secretly to Egypt earlier this year. [Ed. Note: The Washington Post (John Lancaster, “U.S. PLANS ARMS TRANSFER TO EGYPT,” 11/27/01) reported that the US was planning to sell 53 Harpoon Block II surface-to-surface missiles to Egypt.]
3. ROK Medical Support in Afghanistan
The Korea Times (Sohn Suk-joo, “SEOUL TO SEND MEDICAL UNIT TO JOIN ANTI-TERROR WAR,” 11/27/01) reported that the ROK Defense Ministry announced on November 26 that the ROK will send a 150- member mobile army surgical hospital unit to the US-led war against terrorism as early as December 10. The non-combat military support team will be ready for dispatch at any time, after the ROK National Assembly approves their deployment in a plenary session on December 7. Brigadier General Hwan Eui-don, spokesman for the ROK Defense Ministry said that when and where the support unit would be deployed is yet to be decided. Another official said the support unit will likely be sent to Uzbekistan or Tajikistan in central Asia, where US special forces are reportedly on a clandestine mission. The ministry dispatched mission planning teams to the US Army Forces Central Command in Florida on November 16 and the US Pacific Command in Hawaii on November 17 to plan the details. [Ed. note: This article appeared in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for November 27, 2001.]
III. Japan
1. Japanese Logistical Support for US
The Asahi Shimbun (“SDF MISSION PLAN GOES BEFORE DIET,” Tokyo, 11/23/01) reported that the Japanese government submitted to the Diet for approval its outline for the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) mission to support the US-led anti-terrorism campaign and help Afghan refugees. A document attached to the outline described the area of operations as: “(territories of) the US, Britain and Australia; the Indian Ocean and its coasts including the Persian Gulf; and places between these areas and Japanese territory where port calls are to be made, personnel are to board or disembark, and goods are to be loaded or unloaded.” Because the places specified in the attached document, other than Guam and Diego Garcia, can only be seaports and airports, the SDF’s transport operations in the mission will apparently be exclusively by air and sea, not by land. No further details were given as to when and where the missions are to be carried out, and which types of US vessels the MSDF is to supply with fuel.
2. ROK Missile Misfiring
The Asahi Shimbun (“S. KOREAN MISSILE DOWN OFF CHEJU,” Tokyo, 11/23/01) reported that Japanese government officials said on November 15 that a missile launched by the ROK fell harmlessly and apparently unintentionally into the Sea of Japan off Cheju Island and about 300 kilometers west of Kyushu. ROK officials acknowledged that an experimental missile had been launched and had splashed down in the Sea of Japan. Sources in Japan and the ROK said that the ballistic missile was launched by the ROK Defense Ministry’s research institute, and that it somehow came down in the wrong place. One Japanese government source said that there was a strong possibility that the missile misfired, and another source said that there might have been a miscalculation in the ROK test process. Japanese officials were initially concerned because of unconfirmed reports–later proved false–that the missile was a Taepodong lofted by the DPRK.
3. Tanaka’s Visit to Pakistan
Kyodo (“TANAKA MOVED BY WAR REFUGEES,” Islamabad, 11/26/01) reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka on November 25 visited a refugee camp for Afghans near Peshawar in northwest Pakistan to see the conditions people are living in and to better direct further economic assistance from Japan. Tanaka, who is on a four-day visit to Pakistan that ends Monday, spent about two hours touring the re-opened Shamshatoo refugee camp. Tanaka was briefed on the situation and visited a vocational training school, a girls’ elementary school and a health unit. After visiting the camp, Tanaka said, “We have to think about what we can do, not emotionally, but through calm deliberation. Maybe we cannot help everyone… We have the duty to help.”
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Tokyo, Japan
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Shanghai, People’s Republic of China
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