NAPSNet Daily Report 7 July, 2008
Contents in this Issue:
- I. Napsnet
- 1. Six-Party Talks
- 2. US on DPRK Nuclear Program
- 3. DPRK-Pakistan Nuclear Cooperation
- 4. Japanese Abductees Issue
- 5. Inter-Korea Relations
- 6. Separated Families
- 7. Korean War Killings
- 8. ROK Military Exercises
- 9. ROK Military Reform
- 10. US-ROK Trade Relations
- 11. ROK Cabinet Reshuffle
- 12. Sino-Japanese Relations
- 13. Cross Strait Relations
- II. PRC Report
- III. ROK Report
- IV. Announcement
I. Napsnet
1. Six-Party Talks
Korea Herald (“NUCLEAR TALKS TO RESUME THIS WEEK”, Seoul, 2008/07/07) reported that the six-party talks will resume this week and the ROK delegation will travel to Beijing for preparation Tuesday, the ROK Foreign Ministry said Monday. “The meeting of the chief representatives to the six-party talks is likely to open on Thursday or Friday,” a diplomatic source said on condition of anonymity.
2. US on DPRK Nuclear Program
BBC (“BUSH ‘CONCERN’ AT N KOREA ISSUES”, Tokyo, 2008/07/06) reported that speaking after talks with Japanese PM Yasuo Fukuda ahead of Monday’s G8 summit in Japan, US President George W. Bush stated, “North Korea did provide a declaration of its plutonium-related activities and did blow up the cooling tower of its nuclear reactor at Yongbyon. That’s been verified and is a positive step, but there are more steps to be taken. We are concerned about enriched uranium and proliferation, human rights abuses and ballistic missile programmes.”
3. DPRK-Pakistan Nuclear Cooperation
Associated Press (Nahal Toosi, “PAKISTAN NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION CASE ‘CLOSED'”, Islamabad, 2008/07/05) reported that Abdul Qadeer Khan told The Associated Press on Friday that Pakistan’s army supervised a 2000 shipment of used P-1 centrifuges to the DPRK. “It was a North Korean plane, and the army had complete knowledge about it and the equipment,” Khan said. “It must have gone with his (President Perez Musharraf’s) consent.” Musharraf’s spokesman, Rashid Qureshi, stated, “I can say with full confidence that it is all lies and false statements.” Mohammed Sadiq, spokesman for the Foreign Ministry, said, “The nuclear proliferation issue is a closed case.”
4. Japanese Abductees Issue
Yomiuri Shimbun (“U.S. ‘WON’T FORGET ABDUCTEES'”, Toyakocho, 2008/07/07) reported that U.S. President George W. Bush expressed his support for Japan over the issue of the DPRK’s abduction of Japanese nationals at a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda. Bush said he would never forget the abduction issue and that the United States’ position to support Japan on the issue would not change. “I hope that Japan and the United States will closely cooperate over the issues of North Korea’s nuclear ambitions and abduction,” Fukuda said. “The abduction and nuclear issues should be solved together.”
5. Inter-Korea Relations
Associated Press (“SKOREAN PREZ OFFER TO MEET NORTH’S KIM”, Seoul, 2008/07/07) reported that ROK President Lee Myung-bak said he is willing to meet DPRK leader Kim Jong-il any time if it will help end the DPRK’s nuclear programs, news reports said Monday. Lee welcomed the DPRK’s declaration of its nuclear programs but urged it to take more action toward dismantlement.
Chosun Ilbo (“UN CHIEF VOWS TO FACILITATE INTER-KOREAN RAPPROCHEMENT”, Seoul, 2008/07/07) reported that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Sunday promised to play a facilitator role in improving inter-Korean relations. “I won’t intervene directly in inter-Korean affairs, since it is desirable for both Koreas to try to find solutions for themselves,” Ban said during a visit to Seoul, “But I’ll play a facilitator role on the sidelines.” Ban made the remarks in a breakfast meeting with Unification Minister Kim Ha-joong, vowing to “listen to the South Korean government’s views on what role I can play. I’ll play whatever necessary role I can play after close consultations with the government.”
6. Separated Families
Korea Herald (Lee Joo-hee, “DEATH AMONG SEPARATED FAMILY REUNION APPLICANTS INCREASING”, Seoul, 2008/07/07) reported that one out of four separated family members in the ROK end up dying without reuniting with their kin in the DPRK as their median age has grown older, statistics showed Monday. From 1988 to June this year, 35,475 people who have applied for reunions passed away, according to the Unification Ministry’s Integrated Information Center for Separated Families. This number accounts for 27.9 percent of the total of 127,251 applicants. This is about 10 percentage points higher than June 2004 figure of 18.0 percent, with around 3,000-4,000 of the applicants passing away each year, the center said.
7. Korean War Killings
Associated Press (Jae-soon Chang, “FAMILIES TELL OF HIDDEN KOREAN WAR BLOODBATH”, Daejeon, 2008/07/06) reported that tens of thousands of ROK citizens were victims of hurried mass executions carried out in mid-1950 by ROK authorities in the early days of the Korean War who feared that southern leftists might help the invading DPRK troops. The government Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Korea is investigating the bloodbaths, including a possible U.S. role. The commission estimates as many as 7,000 were summarily killed by military and civil police in Daejeon. All Daejeon prison inmates sentenced to 10 years or more were trucked off to the killing fields, former prison guard Lee Joon-young told the AP.
Associated Press (Charles Hanley and Jae-Soon Chang, “US WAVERED OVER S. KOREAN EXECUTIONS”, Seoul, 2008/07/06) reported that in the early days of the Korean War, American officers observed, photographed and confidentially reported on wholesale executions by their ROK ally. Extensive archival research by The Associated Press has found no indication Far East commander Gen. Douglas MacArthur took action to stem the summary mass killing, knowledge of which reached top levels of the Pentagon and State Department in Washington, where it was classified “secret” and filed away. “The most important thing is that they did not stop the executions,” historian Jung Byung-joon, a member of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, said of the Americans. “They were at the crime scene, and took pictures and wrote reports.” Frank Winslow, a military adviser at Daejeon at that time, said in a telephone interview, “The Koreans were sovereign. To me, there was never any question that the Koreans were in charge.”
8. ROK Military Exercises
Korea Times (Jung Sung-ki, “MILITARY WILL REDUCE DRILLS TO SAVE ENERGY”, Seoul, 2008/07/07) reported that the ROK’s armed forces will reduce training exercises as part of a nationwide campaign to save energy, the Ministry of National Defense said Monday. Defense Minister Lee Sang-hee stated, “Energy saving is now a matter of survival, not of choice. The military leaders should recognize the current crisis situation and take the lead in efforts to save energy.”
9. ROK Military Reform
Chosun Ilbo (“DEFENSE REFORM LIKELY TO BE DELAYED”, Seoul, 2008/07/07) reported that the ROK Defense Ministry is apparently considering a delay of the Defense Reform 2020 project by some five years. A government source on Sunday said, “The ministry has found that it would be very difficult to secure a budget for implementation, so it is considering revising or complementing it in one way or another.” The project, designed by the Roh Moo-hyun administration, envisages cutting the number of Army corps from 10 to six and divisions from 47 to about 20, slashing troop numbers from 681,000 to about half a million. But a military source said, “In a situation where no sufficient combat capabilities have been secured, some officers oppose the idea of disbanding some of the corps deployed at the frontline and slashing the number of divisions.”
10. US-ROK Trade Relations
Chosun Ilbo (“MASS PROTESTS PASS PEACEFULLY”, Seoul, 2008/07/07) reported that the weekend’s street protests passed peacefully without violent clashes with police. The rally, which began Saturday afternoon and lasted until dawn on Sunday attracted according to the police over 50,000 people, and 500,000 by the organizers’ estimate. Some 300 members of conservative groups rallied on Saturday, urging people to stop the candlelight vigils. There were no clashes between the two groups.
Chosun Ilbo (“U.S. BEEF EXPORTS TO KOREA TO START ‘WITHIN TWO MONTHS'”, Seoul, 2008/07/07) reported that a diplomat in Washington on Saturday said the United States Department of Agriculture Quality System Assessment program, which guarantees that the beef exported to the ROK comes from cattle aged under 30 months, is now getting under way in the United States. Once education of QSA-qualified meat processing firms is over, exports to the ROK will begin, the diplomat added.
11. ROK Cabinet Reshuffle
Associated Press (Kwang-tae Kim, “SKOREA REPLACES MINISTERS OVER US BEEF”, Seoul, 2008/07/07) reported that ROK President Lee Myung-bak replaced three ministers Monday amid the fallout from a much-criticized U.S. beef import deal. The shakeup was aimed at “making a new start” while giving other Cabinet members another chance, presidential spokesman Lee Dong-kwan said. Lee chose new agriculture and welfare ministers Monday because of the mishandling of the beef deal, while the education minister was replaced over alleged financial wrongdoing.
12. Sino-Japanese Relations
TIME (Michael Schuman, “THE GREEN CONNECTION”, Tokyo, 2008/07/05) reported that at the Sino-Japan Friendship Center for Environmental Protection, experts study how Japan became one of the world’s most energy-efficient countries, with the aim of applying those lessons and methods to the PRC. “Japan, on an international level, is a responsible country,” says the center’s vice director, Xia Guang. “We recognize that Japan’s work promoting environmental protection in China has real seriousness and we thank the government and people of Japan.” The PRC badly requires Japanese technology in everything from advanced nuclear reactors to clean steel mills to hybrid cars; Japan has every incentive to sell that technology to the PRC to generate new business for its otherwise sluggish economy.
13. Cross Strait Relations
Associated Press (Annie Huang, “TOURISM LINKS CHINESE, TAIWANESE”, Taipei, 2008/07/07) reported that more than 700 PRC tourists arrived in Taiwan over the weekend after flying across the 100-mile-wide Taiwan Strait on the first direct commercial flights — aside from holiday charters — since the two sides split during a civil war in 1949. “Some of them brought several credit cards for their shopping sprees,” observed the mass-circulation China Times. “Many of the female tourists carried the latest designer bags, and quite a few strolled around Taipei in high heels.” Television footage showed them drinking Taiwanese beer in the blazing summer heat, enjoying fried chicken at local eateries and shopping freely at upscale shops.
II. PRC Report
14. PRC Environment
Xinhau Net, www.xinhuanet.com (Cai Rongxiang, “YUNNAN GREEN ENVIRONMENT DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION ESTABLISHED”, 2008/07/03) <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:SimSun; panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1; mso-font-alt:??; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 135135232 16 0 262145 0;} @font-face {font-family:”@SimSun”; panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 135135232 16 0 262145 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:””; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify; text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none; font-size:10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:SimSun; mso-font-kerning:1.0pt; mso-fareast-language:ZH-CN;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –> reported that after two years’ planning and operation, Yuannan Green Environment Development Foundation, which was aimed at vegetation recovery and ecology protection, was set up in Kun Ming, Yunnan. Yunnan is one of the PRC’s three major forest areas, and is a hot spot of the world’s biodiversity. Also it is the upstream region and birthplace of a number of domestic and international rivers. With the increasing deterioration of the ecological environment, Yunnan’s ecological status has become more and more important. The Foundation hopes to attract and mobilize all members of the society to participate in the protection and construction of an ecological environment.
China Economic Times (Li Peng, “CHINA’S COASTAL WATERS ARE SUFFERING FROM SERIOUS POLLUTION”, 2008/07/03) <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:SimSun; panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1; mso-font-alt:??; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 135135232 16 0 262145 0;} @font-face {font-family:”@SimSun”; panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 135135232 16 0 262145 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:””; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify; text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none; font-size:10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:SimSun; mso-font-kerning:1.0pt; mso-fareast-language:ZH-CN;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –&gt reported that since late June, Hu moss, a kind of marine green algae, has gathered in large amounts at the coastal waters of Qingdao, Shandong, which almost like a marine natural disaster. According to the notice of Qingdao Marine Bureau, the gathering moss came from the central region of the Yellow Sea, and became a large-scale gathering in a few days. In order to ensure the Olympic Regatta to be smoothly held, Qingdao City has organized relevant departments to salvage all-round. As of June 30, over 100,000 tons of Hu moss had been cleaned. Although there is no scientific conclusion about how damaging the Hu moss may have on the marine ecological environment, as a kind of green algae, the large gathering shows that China’s coastal waters are suffering from serious pollution.
15. PRC Tibet Issue
Xinhua News Agency (“CHINESE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS MEET WITH DALAI LAMA’S PRIVATE REPRESENTATIVES”, 2008/07/03) <!– /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:SimSun; panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1; mso-font-alt:??; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 135135232 16 0 262145 0;} @font-face {font-family:”@SimSun”; panose-1:2 1 6 0 3 1 1 1 1 1; mso-font-charset:134; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 135135232 16 0 262145 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-parent:””; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; text-align:justify; text-justify:inter-ideograph; mso-pagination:none; font-size:10.5pt; mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt; font-family:”Times New Roman”; mso-fareast-font-family:SimSun; mso-font-kerning:1.0pt; mso-fareast-language:ZH-CN;} @page Section1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.Section1 {page:Section1;} –&g reported that Du Qinglin, head of the United Front Work Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, met with private representatives of the 14th Dalai Lama in Beijing recently. Du told the two representatives the central government’s policy towards the Dalai Lama is consistent and explicit. The door for dialogue is always open. The Dalai Lama should openly and explicitly promise and prove it in his actions not to support activities to disturb the upcoming Beijing Olympic Games, not to support plots to fan violent criminal activities, not to support and concretely curb the violent terrorist activities of the “Tibetan Youth Congress” and not to support any argument and activity to seek “Tibet independence” and split the region from the country, he said. The Dalai Lama’s representatives also expressed their ideas on several relevant issues and said they would report the results to the Dalai Lama.
III. ROK Report
16. DPRK Propaganda
Goodfriends (“IT’S ALL KIM JONG-IL’S STRATEGIC VICTORY”, 2008/07/07) reported that Pyongyang city officials are lectured as if the U.S. humanitarian food aid to the DPRK is war loot. One high official witnessed that the DPRK government is making propaganda saying that removal from the state sponsor of terrorism is a strategic victory of Kim Jong-il, and the U.S aid is war loot.
17. DPRK Nuclear Program
Kyunghyang Shinmun (“CONVERSION OF NUCLEAR PROFESSIONALS ALSO IMPORTANT”, 2008/07/06) reported that completion of DPRK nuclear program dismantlement includes redeployment of nuclear-related professionals. The ‘Nunn–Lugar Cooperative Threat Reduction’ can be the answer. The Cooperative Threat Reduction (CTR) Program is to secure and dismantle weapons of mass destruction and their associated infrastructure, and re-socialize the related professionals, in former Soviet Union states such as Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, in return for national security and economic support. Successful application of the Nunn-Lugar program to the DPRK will be dependant on the DPRK’s will to cooperate to change nuclear professionals, and unreported facilities and personnel should be included.
IV. Announcement
18. Global Nuclear Futures Briefing Book
(“”, ) The Nautilus Institute is pleased to announce the latest updates of the Global Nuclear Futures Briefing Book. New pages have been added in the policy section, dealing with the economics of nuclear power, and in the technical section, on the nuclear fuel cycle, as well as a new country page for China. New articles have also been added to the existing pages on Australia and Japan, looking at those country’s stances on nuclear weapon development. The Global Nuclear Futures Briefing Book can be found on the Global Collaborative website at: http://www.globalcollab.org/Nautilus/energy-security/nuclear-briefing-book