NAPSNet Daily Report Monday, July 03, 2006

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NAPSNet Daily Report Monday, July 03, 2006

NAPSNet Daily Report Monday, July 03, 2006

I. NAPSNet

II. CanKor

Preceding NAPSNet Report

I. NAPSNet

1. DPRK Nuclear Threat

Reuters (“NORTH KOREA VOWS “ANNIHILATING STRIKE” IF ATTACKED”, 2006-07-03) reported that the DPRK ratcheted up the rhetoric in its war of words with Washington by promising an “annihilating strike” with its nuclear deterrent should the US launch an attack, its media said on Monday. “The army and people of the DPRK are now in full preparedness to answer a pre-emptive attack with a relentless annihilating strike and a nuclear war with a mighty nuclear deterrent,” its party newspaper said on Monday.

(return to top) Agence France-Presse (“US SHRUGS OFF NORTH KOREA NUCLEAR THREAT”, 2006-07-03) reported that the White House dismissed the DPRK’s threat of a nuclear strike in the event of US attack as “deeply hypothetical” and urged Pyongyang to rejoin nuclear negotiations. “It is a statement about what may happen if something that hasn’t happened, happened, if you follow my drift. It is still deeply hypothetical,” said White House spokesman Tony Snow. (return to top) Associated Press (“WHITE HOUSE: U.S. WOULD GUARD VS. MISSILE”, 2006-07-03) reported that the Bush administration responded sternly Monday to an annihilation threat from the DPRK, saying while it had no intention of attacking, it was determined to protect the US if the DPRK launched a long-range missile. “Should North Korea take the provocative action of launching a missile the U.S. would respond appropriately, including by taking the necessary measures to protect ourselves,” Julie Reside, a State Department spokeswoman, said. Still, the US has no intention of invading or attacking the DPRK, Reside said. (return to top)

2. Six Party Talks

Reuters (“CHINA PROPOSES INFORMAL NORTH KOREA TALKS: REPORT”, 2006-07-01) reported that the PRC has sounded out the nations involved in stalled six-party talks on the DPRK’s nuclear programme about the possibility of holding informal discussions later this month, a Japanese daily reported on Sunday. According to sources quoted by the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, PRC Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei in late June summoned ambassadors from the other nations involved in the negotiations to propose holding informal talks in the week of July 17, after the Group of Eight advanced nations summit in Russia. No further information was available, but the paper said the move was believed to be aimed both at breaking the stalemate over the six-party talks — which last convened in November — and defusing tensions over a possible missile launch.

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3. G-8 Leaders on DPRK

Kyodo (“G-8 LEADERS TO EXPRESS CONCERNS ABOUT N. KOREA MISSILE LAUNCH”, 2006-07-03) reported that the leaders of the Group of Eight nations are arranging to jointly express concerns about problems related to the DPRK, such as the possible launch of a ballistic missile, in a chairman’s summary due out after their upcoming summit, Japanese government sources said Monday. The G-8 leaders are also expected to voice concerns about the DPRK’s nuclear problems and its abductions of foreigners in the envisaged chairman’s summary Russian President Vladimir Putin will release following the summit slated for July 15-17 in St. Petersburg, they said.

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4. DPRK-Japan Media Relations

Dong-a Ilbo (“JAPANESE REPORTERS INVITED TO N. KOREA “, 2006-07-03) reported that it was confirmed on Monday that the DPRK invited journalists from several major Japanese press, including Asahi, Yomiuri, NHK and the Kyodo News, to visit Pyongyang from Tuesday to Saturday. A member of Asahi Shimbun said on Monday, “Pyongyang recently invited Japanese journalists through the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan” and added, “North Korea announced it was a ‘friendly’ invitation, but it seems that the regime intends to explain the issue of Megumi Yokota, a Japanese abductee and ex-wife of Kim Young-nam, a Korean man also kidnapped by North Korea.”.

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5. DPRK Abduction Issue

Yonhap (“N. KOREA REJECTS S. KOREA’S REQUEST TO CONFIRM FATE OF S. KOREAN KIDNAP VICTIMS”, 2006-07-03) reported that the DPRK has rejected the ROK’s request to confirm whether three ROK high school students allegedly abducted by the DPRK decades ago are still alive, an official said Monday. DPRK officials recently “informed us that it is impossible to confirm whether they already died or are still alive,” said the official at Seoul’s Unification Ministry. He did not elaborate on whether the DPRK had confirmed allegations that it kidnapped the three RO Koreans.

(return to top) Chosun Ilbo (“MEGUMI YOKOTA REMAINS ‘MAY HAVE BEEN MIXED UP’”, 2006-07-03) reported that Kim Young-nam, a RO Korean who married the Japanese abduction victim Megumi Yokota in the DPRK, was quoted Monday as admitting that his wife’s cremated remains may have been mixed with those of others. Kim upset many in Japan last week by denouncing Tokyo for claiming that repatriated remains were not those of Yokota but of two other people. (return to top)

6. DPRK-Cuba Relations

Yonhap (“NORTH KOREAN VICE-PREMIER MEETS CUBAN LEADER FIDEL CASTRO”, 2006-07-01) reported that the DPRK�s vice-premier of the cabinet met with Cuban leader Fidel Castro in Havana earlier this week, the DPRK�s state media reported Saturday. “Fidel Castro exchanged pleasant conversation with the visiting North Korean delegation led by Jon Sung-hun, vice-premier of the cabinet” on Thursday, according to the Korean Central News Agency.

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7. DPRK-US Travel

Associated Press (“TOUR TO VISIT NORTH AND SOUTH KOREA”, 2006-07-03) reported that few Americans have visited the DPRK not because of restrictions by the US government but because the DPRK does not usually permit them in. However, the DPRK is issuing visas for travel between Aug. 10-Oct. 10, and several tours are being offered by US-based companies.

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8. ROK Missile Defense

The Associated Press (“SOUTH KOREA TO PURCHASE SM-2 MISSILES”, 2006-07-03) reported that the ROK is considering buying US shipborne SM-2 missiles to bolster its missile-defense system, a ROK government official said Monday. The move is the latest by ROK and Japan to strengthen their defenses amid signs that the DPRK could test a long-range missile. Seoul announced last week the purchase of Patriot interceptor missiles from Germany.

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9. ROK-PRC Relations

Chosun Ilbo (“BIG KOREAN FIRMS PUT THEIR MONEY INTO CHINA”, 2006-07-03) reported that big ROK corporations invested US$350 million in the PRC in the first quarter of this year, a whopping 75 percent increase from a year ago, the Ministry of Finance and Economy and the state-run Export-Import Bank of Korea said Monday. ROK corporations are investing in two ways. First, IT companies and carmakers are boosting their investment to benefit from PRC demand. Second, domestic heavy industry — steel makers, shipbuilders and energy companies – are moving their manufacturing base to the PRC to avoid the effects of the strong won.

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10. ROK-Russia Trade Relations

The Vladivostok News (“NAKHODKA, PUSAN TO BOOST TRANSPORTATION TIES “, 2006-07-03) reported that officials and businessmen from Russia and ROK met on Wednesday in Vladivostok to exchange presentations of Primorye’s port of Vostochny and the ROK’s port of Pusan and develop prospects for creating a regular cargo service between the ports.

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11. ROK-Japan Territorial Dispute

Agence France-Presse (“SEOUL SEA SURVEY TRIGGERS TENSION WITH TOKYO”, 2006-07-03) reported that tension has been building between the ROK and Japan after Seoul dispatched an ocean survey ship to a group of disputed islets despite Tokyo’s repeated warnings not to do so. The ROK’s coast guard, on alert since the ship departed from the southern port of Busan late Sunday, increased patrols near the islets in the Sea of Japan (East Sea). Japan has warned against the sea survey in waters near the rocky islets.

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12. ROK-US Free Trade Agreement

Agence France-Presse (“SKOREAN LABOR GROUP CALLS ONE-DAY STRIKE AGAINST FREE TRADE TALKS”, 2006-07-03) reported that a ROK militant labor group said its members would launch a one-day strike next week to protest against free trade talks with the US. The strike on Wednesday was called by the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions (KCTU), which has some 800,000 members, in response to massive protests planned by an umbrella anti-FTA group here.

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13. Japan-US Missile Defence Cooperation

The Financial Times (“BUSH ENLISTS KOIZUMI ON MISSILES STANCE”, 2006-07-03) reported that President George W. Bush used shared concern with Japan over the DPRK’s threatened missile launching to press on Thursday for the continued development of missile defence, saying the two countries “cannot afford to be held hostage to rockets.” Mr Koizumi, whose government has pledged several billion dollars to joint missile defence, said: “I believe in the first place we need to try and approach the North Koreans not to launch a Taepodong-2 [long-range missile].”

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14. Japan-PRC Relations

Kyodo (“OZAWA, CHINA OFFICIAL AGREE ON NEED FOR CONSTRUCTIVE TIES”, 2006-07-03) reported that Ichiro Ozawa, the head of Japan’s main opposition party, agreed Monday with a senior PRC Communist Party official there is a need to establish constructive relations between Japan and the PRC, whose ties remain at their lowest ebb in decades, the Japanese party’s officials said.

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15. Japan-Taiwan Relations

Kyodo (“TAIWAN OPPOSITION LEADER SEEKS TO PROMOTE TIES WITH JAPAN”, 2006-07-03) reported that Ma Ying-jeou, chairman of Taiwan’s main opposition Nationalist Party, speaks in an interview with Kyodo News in Taipei on July 3. Ma suggested that Taiwan further cement ties with Japan, known as one of the island’s most significant neighbors in the region.

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16. PRC Media Control

The New York Times (“CHINA LAW SEEKS TO CURB FOREIGN MEDIA TOO”, 2006-07-03) reported that a PRC draft law that threatens to fine news media for reporting on “sudden incidents” without permission applies to foreign as well as domestic news organizations, an official involved in preparing the legislation said today. Wang Yongqing, vice minister of the legislative affairs office of the PRC’s State Council told reporters that the law should apply to all news organizations, including foreign newspapers, magazines and broadcast outlets that usually operate under different rules than local PRC media.

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II. CanKor

17. Report #254

CanKor (“CURRENT EVENTS”, 2006-06-30) US congressman James Leach, chairman of the House International Relations Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific, urges the Bush administration to consider direct talks with Pyongyang. “I of course share the administration’s healthy skepticism about (the DPRK’s) strategic intentions. But skepticism is an attitude, not a policy,” says Leach. Japan’s Kyodo News agency reports that Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Wu Dawei conveyed a warning to DPRK Ambassador Choe Jin Su in a meeting at the Foreign Ministry in Beijing. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao urges all parties to avoid any move that would aggravate regional tensions. Due to the highly corrosive nature of the rocket fuel used by the DPRK, the missile would almost certainly have been fired by now, says Michael Green, formerly President Bush’s adviser on Asian affairs and currently at Washington’s Centre for Security and International Studies. The launch preparations may be a show for the satellite cameras above.

(return to top) CanKor (“OPINION”, 2006-06-30) This week’s CanKor OPINION presents highlights of the debate over the current DPR Korean threat of a missile test. Former Secretary of State and architect of the 1994 Agreed Framework, William Perry causes a stir among Korea experts by arguing that should the DPRK persist in its launch preparations, the US should immediately make clear its intension to strike and destroy the Taepodong missile. “The missile test is not a violation of anything more than our pride, ripping a gaping hole in the false logic that talking with the North Koreans somehow rewards and empowers them,” says Jack Pritchard, former US envoy to the DPRK. A “saner” approach is to open avenues of dialogue with Pyongyang. A pre-emptive strike would occur in the context of an inattentive, confused, and unpopular US North Korea policy, isolate the United States more than Pyongyang, and complicate, not ease, the US’ ability to make progress, says Brookings senior fellow Michael O’Hanlon. The Bush administration has little intention of solving this crisis, since the DPRK’s missiles are a “useful threat,” says Canadian Columnist Gwynne Dyer, a “much more tactful justification for the ballistic missile defence programme than the Chinese rockets that the BMD is actually meant to intercept.” (return to top)