NAPSNet Daily Report 29 October, 1999

Recommended Citation

"NAPSNet Daily Report 29 October, 1999", NAPSNet Daily Report, October 29, 1999, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-daily-report/napsnet-daily-report-29-october-1999/

 
CONTENTS

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

III. Japan

I. United States

1. US-DPRK Talks

US State Department Spokesman (“U.S. SPECIAL ENVOY KARTMAN TO MEET DPRK OFFICIALS IN BERLIN NOVEMBER 15,” 10/28/99) released the following announcement. “U.S. Special Envoy for the Korean Peace Talks, Ambassador Charles Kartman, will lead a delegation of U.S. officials to meet with DPRK counterparts in Berlin from November 15. Ambassador Kartman will meet DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye Gwan to resume discussions held there September 7-12. The two sides will continue exploring ways to improve relations while addressing the concerns of both sides.”

2. DPRK Agricultural Production

Dow Jones Newswires (“KYODO NEWS WFP TO LAUNCH 2-YEAR PLAN TO HELP N. KOREA’S FARMERS,” Seoul, 10/28/99) reported that the ROK’s Yonhap News Agency reported Thursday that the World Food Program (WFP) will launch next year a two-year plan to help increase DPRK agricultural production. WFP will spend a total US$33.63 million under the Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO) for a variety of projects aimed at rehabilitating agricultural communities. The Food and Agriculture Organization will also provide technical assistance for the operation. The WFP plans to raise funds required for the operation through donations from major donors such as the US and the European Union. The PRRO projects involve irrigation, embankment repair, seed purchase, afforestation and flood control.

3. DPRK Refugees in PRC

Dow Jones Newswires (“POLITICS SILENCES N. KOREAN REFUGEES’ PLIGHT,” Tumen, 10/20/99) reported that observers said that the governments of the PRC and the DPRK are unlikely to recognize the DPRK citizens crossing the border into the PRC as refugees. One anonymous 31-year-old DPRK man stated, “We want the Chinese government to protect our human rights and recognize us as refugees. We are worried what will happen if we are caught and sent back.” Residents in the border town Tumen and the nearby city Yanji said that the numbers of DPRK citizens crossing the Tumen River has declined this year. A member of an unnamed aid group based in the border area said that the reduced number of refugees depends as much on politics as on seasonal factors. Reports from refugees and aid workers said that border guards and police on both sides have moved during the past few months to reduce border crossings. An unnamed scholar at a Western university who is conducting research in the area stated, “China’s recognition of the North Koreans as refugees would lead to an influx of millions more, which could lead to the collapse of North Korea’s government. Who would feed them then — South Korea, the United States, China? China does not want North Korea to collapse, or for it to unify with South Korea. The collapse of North Korea would not only lead to a massive refugee problem on China’s border, but also to a probably enhanced U.S. presence in the region due to South Korea’s close ties with the United States.” An unnamed Western diplomat in Beijing said that the DPRK does not want to recognize the existence of the refugees because this would destroy the myth of the DPRK as a “workers’ paradise.” The diplomat added that the US also does not want to take any action that might cause the collapse of the DPRK regime due to the possible effects on North Asian stability. One DPRK refugee said that DPRK citizens are not afraid of going to war with the ROK. He stated, “If we don’t do anything we will die. If we win, we can unify with South Korea, if we lose we can also unify. At least, we will have something to eat.”

Dow Jones Newswires (“HIDDEN REFUGEES ESCAPE N. KOREAN STARVATION,” Tumen, 10/20/99) reported that the number of DPRK citizens illegally crossing into the PRC is expected to increase during the winter, as food becomes scarcer and the Tumen River freezes over, making entry easier. Yanji residents noted that the situation is a reversal of the late 1950s and early 1960s when starving Chinese crossed into the DPRK looking for food after the Great Leap Forward.

4. US-ROK Military Exercises

Agence France-Presse (“US, SOUTH KOREA IN DRILLS AGAINST MOCK CHEMICAL ATTACKS,” Pusan, 10/29/99) reported that US and ROK soldiers on Friday staged a decontamination drill in Pusan to practice defending against a mock DPRK chemical attack. The exercise was part of the 12-day US-ROK “Foal Eagle” joint military drills.

5. US Military in ROK

Pacific Stars and Stripes (Jim Lea, “14,000 U.S. CIVILIANS IN KOREA TO GET GAS MASKS IN NOVEMBER,” Seoul, 11/30/99) reported that US Forces Korea spokesman Colonel David Apt announced Friday that about 14,000 US military family members, nonmission-essential civilian employees, and contractors in the ROK will begin receiving gas masks next month,. Apt emphasized that the move is not in response to any increased threat on the peninsula, but is “part of our continually evolving Force and Family Protection Program,” which started after the Khobar Towers bombing in Saudi Arabia in June 1996. The masks will be distributed to non-combatants with all branches of the US military in the ROK, to US employees of the US Embassy and to Department of Defense Dependents Schools teachers, administrators and their families. [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for November 29.]

6. Korean War Massacre

Agence France-Presse (“US TEAM MEETS KOREAN-WAR MASSACRE VICTIMS,” Seoul, 10/29/99) and the Associated Press (Sang-Hun Choe, “INVESTIGATORS VISIT NO GUN RI SCENE,” Seoul, 10/29/99) reported that a US Army investigative team on Friday met ROK citizens who survived an alleged massacre of up to 200 Korean civilians by US troops in the Korean War. The meeting followed the US team’s visit to a railway bridge at No Gun Ri where the massacre allegedly took place. An unnamed official at Yongdong County Office stated, “The US team met with the survivors and listened to their testimony about their ordeal.” He said that all dialogue was tape recorded by the visiting US officials. Chung Eun-yong, representative of the victims’ families, said that the lead investigator, Army Inspector General Lieutenant General Michael Ackerman, “promised a thorough and transparent investigation. Otherwise, they didn’t say much. They just listened to what we have to say for about one hour, and they looked sincere.” The team earlier held talks with ROK officials investigating the alleged killings. The ROK Defense Ministry said that the two sides will exchange historical data and lists of questions for interviewing ROK survivors and US veterans. It added that they agreed to try to finish their investigations by mid-2000.

7. US-PRC Talks

Reuters (Benjamin Kang Lim, “U.S. SAYS IT’S ON ROAD TO NORMAL TIES WITH CHINA,” Beijing, 10/29/99) reported that senior US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Pickering said on Friday that US-PRC relations were “moving in the right direction.” Pickering stated, “Both sides look forward to making continuing progress in our future discussions.” He added, “Both sides evaluate yesterday’s talks as positive. Progress has been made.” Pickering said he PRC officials that the US had undertaken a review of accountability for the bombing of the PRC embassy in Belgrade in “a very serious way” and would inform the PRC of developments. On Taiwan, Pickering reiterated US backing for the “one China” policy and that the US would not support Taiwan President Lee Teng-hui’s call in for “special state-to-state” relations. Pickering added that PRC officials agreed that the US and the PRC “need to continue the closest cooperation” regarding the DPRK. He said they also discussed human rights, non-proliferation, military-to-military ties, the coup d’etat in Pakistan, tension between India and Pakistan, and Indonesia.

8. US Ambassador to PRC

The Associated Press (“SENATORS SHOW NO RESISTANCE TO CHOICE FOR ENVOY IN CHINA,” Washington, 10/29/99) and Agence France-Presse (“US NOMINEE FOR CHINA AMBASSADOR CLOSER TO PANEL’S APPROVAL,” Washington, 10/28/99) reported that retired admiral Joseph Prueher on Thursday seemed likely to win the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s support to become US ambassador to the PRC. The committee was to vote on November 3. A spokeswoman for Senate Republican Majority Leader Trent Lott said that, barring objections, a final vote on the nomination could take place as early as a day later. [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for November 29.]

9. Taiwan-PRC Relations

Agence France-Presse (“TAIWAN LEADER BLASTS CHINA FOR MILITARY THREAT,” Taipei, 10/28/99) reported that Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui, in an essay in the November issue of the US-based Foreign Affairs monthly journal, said that PRC military threats encourage calls for Taiwanese independence. Lee argued, “Thus, contrary to some inaccurate observations voiced overseas, it is not any of Taipei’s actions, but rather Beijing’s clumsy attempts at intimidation by belligerent rhetoric and provocative saber-rattling that have intensified the call in Taiwan for declaring independence.” He stated, “Beijing has, in effect, set up a straw man by claiming to regard Taiwan as a ‘renegade province’ — over which it has never exercised effective jurisdiction and to which it has no real claim under international law.” He reiterated Taiwan’s desire to reunify with the PRC, but he called for parity as a precondition for any talks.

10. Japanese Nuclear Policy

The International Herald Tribune carried an opinion by Robyn Lim, a professor of international politics at Hiroshima Shudo University (“JAPAN’S BEST BET REMAINS THE AMERICAN NUCLEAR UMBRELLA,” Tokyo, 10/29/99) which said that it would be a “healthy development” if former Japanese parliamentary vice minister for defense Shingo Nishimura’s comments led to a frank discussion in Japan about nuclear weapons. The author argued, “Mr. Nishimura is not offering the best option. The bilateral alliance with the United States, and theater missile defense, are a better choice for Japan than an independent nuclear arsenal.” The article added that the US stored nuclear arms in Japan during the Cold War “because it needed to. Japan was an important part of an American-led coalition which eventually won the Cold War. That coalition depended on nuclear weapons and maritime power.” It stated, “The 1952 U.S.- Japanese security treaty gave America carte blanche, including the right to store nuclear weapons in Japan and to launch them without consultation. Revision of the treaty in 1960 obliged Washington to consult Tokyo about any changes in U.S. military equipment in Japan. When nuclear-capable ships visited Japanese ports, Japan didn’t ask and America didn’t tell. It could not have been otherwise in an alliance critically dependent on maritime power and nuclear weapons.” The author argued, “Without reliable and effective American nuclear weapons, there can be no extended deterrence for Japan or any other U.S. ally. China, like Russia, sees nuclear weapons as ever more important to its security.” [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for November 29.]

11. Indian Nuclear Policy

Reuters (“INDIA SAYS HAS WITHSTOOD NUCLEAR TESTS FALLOUT,” New Delhi, 10/28/99) reported that Indian Foreign Minister Jaswant Singh said on Thursday that attempts to India after its nuclear tests had failed. Singh stated, “The May tests were simply a decision to acquire for India the required degree of strategic autonomy, strategic space.” He added, “There is nothing surreptitious in the nuclear program. What was implicit became explicit in 1998.”

12. US Sanctions on India and Pakistan

Reuters (“CLINTON WAIVES SOME SANCTIONS ON INDIA, PAKISTAN,” Washington, 10/27/99) reported that US President Bill Clinton on Wednesday waived economic sanctions imposed on India after its nuclear tests but kept all but two penalties against Pakistan because a military government had taken power there. The waiver allows US commercial bank lending to continue, and loans by the Export-Import Bank. Mike Hammer, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, stated, “The different treatment of the two countries reflects the reality that things have changed for the worse in Pakistan. But we hope that Pakistan will return to democracy soon.”

13. Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty

Reuters (Peter Graff, “RUSSIAN GENERAL LASHES OUT AT U.S. MISSILE DEFENSE,” Moscow, 10/27/99) Russian Colonel-General Leonid Ivashov said in an interview published in the military newspaper Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star) on Wednesday that US plans to build a missile defense system would wreck the foundations of three decades of arms control treaties. Ivashov said that Russia firmly opposed changes to the Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty. He stated, “The attempt of the United States to protect its territory violates the very principle of the accords. The Russian side’s basic premise is the need to preserve the START process of limitations, retaining and reinforcing its foundation: the ABM treaty of 1972.”

The Christian Science Monitor carried an analytical article (Daniel Schorr, “THE NEW ARMS RACE,” 10/29/99, 11) which said that the US appears to be heading for a confrontation with Russia and the PRC on its plans to develop an antiballistic missile (ABM) system. The article claimed that US Deputy Secretary of State Strobe Talbott delivered “a polite ultimatum” to Russia indicating that the US will abrogate the ABM Treaty if the Russians do not agree to modify it. Unnamed Russian officials said they had told Talbott that “we are on the threshold of disaster and a destruction of the whole arms control framework.” Professor Theodore Postol of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology warned, “The Clinton administration has put us on the path to an arms race … an international disaster of historic proportions.” [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for November 29.]

14. Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty

The New York Times (William J. Broad and Eric Schmitt, “FOES OF TEST BAN TREATY NOW TAKE AIM AT MONITORING SYSTEM,” 10/29/99) reported that a group of senior aides to US Republican Senators are discussing a plan to block US funding for an agency created to put the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) into force and set up a worldwide surveillance system. Senate majority leader Trent Lott stated, “We’re going to take a look at that and see if there’s a need for that money.” However, Senator Chuck Hagel, Republican-Nebraska, stated, “If, in fact, we want to continue to lead the nonproliferation effort, we have to do all we can to assist it.” [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for November 29.]

The Associated Press (“WARNER WANTS ANOTHER LOOK,” Washington, 10/29/99) reported that US Senator John W. Warner, the head of the Armed Services Committee, on Thursday proposed a bipartisan commission to take another look at the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The commission would study a range of issues relating to the testing of nuclear weapons and look into “the possibility of crafting a treaty that would meet the security interests of our nation.” Warner said that the panel would seek language that would meet objections of treaty opponents who believed the CTBT was flawed and could not be verified. [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense’s Early Bird news service for November 29.]

II. Republic of Korea

1. DPRK Military Posture

Chosun Ilbo (Park Doo-shik, “NK ARTILLERY & ROCKET LAUNCHERS GATHERED AT DMZ,” Washington, 10/28/99) and The Korea Times (“PYONGYANG BEEFS UP ARTILLERY NEAR DEMILITARIZED ZONE,” Seoul, 10/28/99) reported that Thomas Schwartz, the newly appointed commander of the US Army in the ROK, revealed on Wednesday that the DPRK is hastening its plan to increase its overall arms power since last year and has speeded up placing artillery and rocket launchers near the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). General Schwartz, who is waiting for Senate approval, said at the Armed Service Committee of the Senate that one of the DPRK’s most threatening military moves at present was the fact that it has placed some 10,000 artillery and 2,300 rocket launchers in underground facilities near the border line of the DMZ. The general warned that the DPRK has built a long-distance artillery attack system that would allow them to attack targets in Seoul.

2. US Food Aid for DPRK

Chosun Ilbo (Park Doo-shik, “US CONGRESS DEBATES FOOD AID TO NK,” Seoul, 10/28/99) reported that US Representative Benjamin Gilman told the House of Representative’s International Relations Committee on Thursday that it was possible that 14,000 tons of food aid worth US$5 million had been moved by DPRK authorities to areas near military camps, but added that this could not be independently verified. Gilman said that since 1995 the US had given US$645 million in aid to the DPRK, and this would reach US$1 billion by next year. Democratic Party member Tony Hall, who has visited the DPRK every year to assess food problems, replied that aid supplied has transformed the way that the DPRK government views the US and that Gilman’s viewpoint was prejudiced. Benjamin Nelson, director of international affairs at the General Accounting Office (GAO) said that there was no evidence of food and heavy oil being given to the DPRK being massively misused. In its recent report, the GAO admitted that not all areas were being monitored with regard to distribution.

3. WFP in DPRK

The Korea Herald (Shin Yong-bae, “WFP IMPLEMENTS NEW PROGRAM TO HELP N. KOREA RENOVATE AGRICULTURAL SECTOR,” Seoul, 10/29/99), Chosun Ilbo (Kwon Tae-yeol, “UNWFP TO REHABILITATE NK FARMING,” Seoul, 10/28/99), and The Korea Times (“WFP TO KICK OFF $34 MIL. AGRO REHABILITATION PROGRAM IN NK,” Seoul, 10/28/99) reported that ROK officials said on Thursday that starting in 2000, the World Food Program (WFP) will implement a new program aimed at helping the DPRK rebuild its rural society. The executive board of the WFP last week approved the program, the Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO), with a budget of US$33.6 million, they said. Under the PRRO, the UN agency will provide the DPRK with support for irrigation, repair of sea dikes, flood control, forestry and other activities related to boosting farm productivity. To implement the program, the WFP said that it would work closely with the DPRK’s Flood Disaster Rehabilitation Committee. Another UN agency, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), will provide technical support for its implementation. The WFP would also work directly with cooperatives in the DPRK for the first time to implement the project, in which about 320,000 DPRK citizens are expected to participate. “This grass-roots involvement will promote a greater decision-making role for cooperatives and encourage greater involvement with the North’s ministries,” according to a WFP report. The US$33.6-million fund needed to implement the PRRO is expected to be raised from the US and the European Union, major contributors to the WFP. Officials at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that the PRRO aims to rehabilitate food production that sharply dropped due to bad weather, to contain damage by possible natural disaster, and to expand the creation of jobs for DPRK citizens. “The PRRO reflects the WFP’s shift of focus from direct food aid to the North to improving its unproductive agricultural sector to fundamentally resolve the food crisis from a long-term viewpoint,” said a ministry official. In particular, he said, it is meaningful that the WFP will cooperate with members of DPRK cooperatives for the first time to improve facilities related to agriculture.

4. DPRK Defectors in ROK

The Korea Herald (Kim Ji-ho, “N.K. DEFECTORS SHUN GOVERNMENT’S JOB TRAINING FACILITY OVER POOR MANAGEMENT,” Seoul, 10/29/99) reported that ROK sources said on Thursday that a recently opened government facility for accommodating DPRK defectors and training them to adjust to life in the ROK is losing popularity among its beneficiaries due to poor management. The temporary shelter for defectors, Hanawon, located in Ansong, Kyonggi Province, opened in early July amid much fanfare as the first facility exclusively designed to help resettle those who have bolted from the DPRK. The facility planned to provide an obligatory three-month program of social education and an optional six- to eight-month job training course afterwards. However, more than half of the first trainee group of 20 defectors and nine more in the second group have left the center after completing only the compulsory period, refusing to take the voluntary job training courses, said Unification Ministry officials. Instead of taking months of vocational training courses there, he said, the defectors want to join the “ordinary” classes provided for ROK jobless outside the facility so that they can enjoy more freedom in the course of adaptation, the officials conceded. In order for the program to be operated more effectively, some observers said, more manpower and financial support should be allocated. “In addition, the Unification Ministry by itself can hardly manage the facility in a most efficient way,” an analyst said. “Other related agencies, including the security service and state prosecutors, need to join forces for the effective education and adaptation of the North Korean defectors.”

5. DPRK-ROK Cultural Exchange

The Korea Herald (“SOUTH COMPANY TO HOLD CONCERT IN N.K. IN NOV.,” Seoul, 10/29/99) reported that an ROK entertainment company will hold concerts of pop singers from the two Koreas in Pyongyang and Mt. Kumgang late next month. SN 21 Enterprise said on Thursday that it has recently agreed to pay the DPRK’s Asia-Pacific Peace Committee US$500,000 for the concerts in addition to providing needed supplies like performance costumes. The company is expected to raise some US$830,000 from sponsors such as Hyundai Asan Corp., Shinsegae Department Store, Hanvit Bank, Munhwa Broadcasting Corp. and Hankyoreh Shinmun.

6. Korean War Massacre

The Korea Herald (“U.S. ARMY GROUP TO MEET NOGUN-RI WITNESSES,” Seoul, 10/29/99) reported that ROK military officials said on Thursday that US Army investigators on Friday would listen to testimony from more than 300 residents of Nogun-ri, North Chungchong Province, where a massacre of ROK civilians allegedly took place during the Korean War. The US group, led by Lieutenant General Michael Ackerman, inspector general of the US Army, will also visit the site of the alleged massacre, some 250 km. south of Seoul. Before leaving Seoul tomorrow, the group will discuss their planned review of the alleged incident with ROK Defense Ministry officials.

III. Japan

1. Japanese Maritime Security Policy

The Nikkei Shimbun (“FOREIGN MINISTRY TO JOIN MARITIME SELF-DEFENSE FORCE’S SEARCH AND RESCUE OF JAPANESE CIVILIANS OVERSEAS,” 10/27/99) reported that the Japanese Foreign Ministry will partly join the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force’s (JMSDF) search and rescue exercise, slated to start on October 27. The exercise will be conducted in wake of the new contingency law, which was made in response to the New Guidelines for Japan-US Defense Cooperation, according to the report. The report added that the Foreign Ministry will join the exercise particularly to simulate a situation in which the Foreign Ministry grabs a number of Japanese civilians unable to evacuate from a contingency site and JMSDF rescues them to the JMSDF ships, while the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force escorts the ships. The exercise will be conducted in Sagami on November 7.

2. Japanese-ROK Talk on the DPRK

The Yomiuri Shimbun (“FOREIGN MINISTER KONO MEETS WITH ROK PRESIDENT AND PROMISES TO DO HIS BEST TO REALIZE MURAYAMA’S VISIT TO DPRK,” Seoul, 10/26/99) reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono met with ROK President Kim Dae-jung in Seoul on October 25 and said to the ROK president, “(We) are trying hard to realize former Prime Minister Tomiichi Murayama’s visit to the DPRK. It is significant that a former prime minister of Japan visits the DPRK for the very first time ever. It is also important that the DPRK has an (appropriate) counterpart.” As for Japan’s policy toward the DPRK, Kono said, “It is important to promote the comprehensive approach, (proposed in the recently issued Perry Report).” Kim Dae-jung said in response, “I want to proceed by closer communications among Japan, the US, and the ROK.”

The Nikkei Shimbun (“JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER ENSURES JAPAN-US-ROK TIES IN POLICY TOWARD DPRK,” Seoul, 10/25/99) and the Asahi Shimbun (“JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER MEETS WITH KIM DAE-JUNG ON DPRK ISSUE,” 10/25/99) reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono met with ROK President Kim Dae-jung on October 25 and both agreed that Japan, the US, and the ROK increase their communications to promote the “comprehensive approach” to dealing with the DPRK. They also agreed that it is necessary to include the PRC, Russia and other neighboring countries to construct a cooperative framework toward peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

3. DPRK Missile Development

The Asahi Shimbun (“MILITARY EXPERT TELLS HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES THAT DPRK HOLDS 1 TO 5 TAPODONG 2 MISSILES, 10/28/99) reported that Joseph Bermudez, a senior researcher at Jane’s Intelligence Review, told the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee on October 27 that the DPRK may have one to five Taepodong-2 missiles. He also said that the DPRK also has 50 to 70 Nodong missiles, while it holds five to ten Taepodong-1 missiles, which can hit Japan. The report added that the expert also said that the DPRK has produced 750 to 1150 missiles in total, that 300 to 400 of them have been exported overseas, that 25 have been used for experiments, and that 425 to 725 have been already deployed.

4. DPRK Economic Policy

The Yomiuri Shimbun (Chiharu Mori, “DPRK ECONOMIC EXPERT EMERGES FOR FIRST TIME IN SIX YEARS,” Seoul, 10/28/99) reported that Kim Dal-hyon, former DPRK vice prime minister, appeared on a public occasion for the first time in six years on October 28, according to the Korean Central News Agency. The report said that there was a ceremony at a newly built iron mill in Hapgyongnamdo where Kim Dal-hyon gave a few words. According to the report, Kim Dal-hyon was seen as one of Kim Jong-il’s closest advisors and became vice prime minister specializing in economic matters. Kim Dal-hyon even visited the ROK and met with then ROK President Roh Tae-woo in 1992. However, soon after the DPRK-ROK talks deadlocked in 1993, he stepped down from the post of vice prime minister, and disappeared from the public scenes after the funeral of Kim Il-sung in 1994. The report quoted a source from the ROK Unification Ministry as saying, “The information this time alone cannot be seen as indicating that Kim Dal-hyon has really ‘resurrected.’ However, he might take an important position in the economic area.”

5. Japanese Policy toward CTBT

The Yomiuri Shimbun (“JAPANESE FOREIGN MINISTER GETS RESPONSE FROM US SECRETARY OF STATE,” 10/22/99) reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Yohei Kono revealed at a press conference on October 22 that he had received a reply from US Secretary of State Albright regarding Kono’s request that the US administration should deal well with the US Congress rejection to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). According to the report, the reply letter was handed to the Japanese vice foreign minister during his visit to the US, and said that the US administration will request the US Senate that it ratify the treaty again and that nuclear tests should not be conducted.

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