NAPSNet Daily Report Monday, October 09, 2006

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NAPSNet Daily Report Monday, October 09, 2006

NAPSNet Daily Report Monday, October 09, 2006

I. NAPSNet

Preceding NAPSNet Report

I. NAPSNet

1. DPRK Nuclear Test

NewsWire (“TEXT OF NORTH KOREA’S NUCLEAR TEST ANNOUNCEMENT”, 2009-10-10) reprinted the full text of the announcement carried on DPR Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency. “The field of scientific research in the DPRK (North Korea) successfully conducted an underground nuclear test under secure conditions on October 9, Juche 95 (2006) at a stirring time when all the people of the country are making a great leap forward in the building of a great, prosperous, powerful socialist nation. “It has been confirmed that there was no such danger as radioactive emission in the course of the nuclear test as it was carried out under a scientific consideration and careful calculation. “The nuclear test was conducted with indigenous wisdom and technology 100%. It marks a historic event as it greatly encouraged and pleased the KPA (Korean People’s Army) and people that have wished to have powerful self-reliant defence capability. “It will contribute to defending the peace and stability on the Korean peninsula and in the area around it.”

(return to top) Reuters (“N.KOREA CONDUCTS NUCLEAR TEST, DRAWING WORLD IRE”, 2009-10-09) reported that the DPRK announced it conducted an underground nuclear test on Monday and the U.N. Security Council prepared a stern response that could further impoverish and isolate the communist state. The PRC denounced the test as “brazen,” and urged it to avoid action that could worsen the situation. Russian President Vladimir Putin also condemned the test. President Bush called it a “provocative act” that threatened international peace and security and required an immediate response from the U.N. Security Council. (return to top) NewsWire (“SEISMIC READINGS CONFIRM NTH KOREAN NUCLEAR TEST”, 2009-10-09) reported that seismic monitoring centers around the world have confirmed that an unnatural tremor was recorded at the time the DPRK said it carried out an underground nuclear test. The ROK’s seismic monitoring centre said a magnitude 3.6 tremor was recorded and that it was not a natural occurrence. The U.S. Geological Survey said it recorded a magnitude 4.2 seismic event in northeastern DPRK. An ROK defence ministry official told the Yonhap news agency that the test was carried out at Hwadaeri near Kilju on the DPRK’s northeast coast at 10:36am local time. Any radiation leak is likely to be picked up by a world wide network of nuclear monitoring stations which are part of the international Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). (return to top)

2. DPRK Rally

Associated Press (“N. KOREA LEADER RALLIES ARMY COMMANDERS”, 2009-10-06) reported that DPRK leader Kim Jong Il rallied hundreds of top military commanders and urged them to bolster the nation’s defenses. Officers greeted him with rousing cheers of “Fight at the cost of our lives!” The meeting was his first reported appearance in three weeks and the first since Tuesday, when his government shocked the world by announcing plans to test a nuclear device on its way to building an arsenal of atomic weapons. It was unclear when the rally took place, or how many attended, but it could show that Kim is trying to polish his credentials with the country’s cherished military at a time when international pressure is mounting on Pyongyang. The KCNA dispatch made no mention of a nuclear test.

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3. UN on DPRK Nuclear Test

Reuters (“U.N. COUNCIL CONDEMNS N. KOREA’S NUCLEAR TEST”, 2009-10-09) reported that U.N. Security Council members strongly condemned the DPRK’s nuclear test on Monday and will begin work on a resolution under Chapter 7 of the United Nations Charter. A Chapter 7 resolution could allow for sanctions and even war, but the 15-member Security Council must specifically state what kind of action it wants.

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4. Richardson on DPRK Nuclear Test

Associated Press (“RICHARDSON URGES DIPLOMACY ON N. KOREA”, 2009-10-09) reported that Gov. Bill Richardson, a former U.N. ambassador who has parleyed with the DPRK, is urging diplomacy in dealing with the DPRK announcement that it had set off an underground nuclear test. Richardson, who said he considers the test a hostile act, urged the Bush administration to seek immediate support from the United Nations Security Council for U.S. efforts to stop the DPRK’s nuclear weapons development. The crisis needs face-to-face diplomacy, Richardson said in a statement released late Sunday.

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5. Russia on DPRK Nuclear Test

Ria Novosti (“NO USE OF FORCE AGAINST N. KOREA – RUSSIAN ENVOY”, 2009-10-10)

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6. PRC on DPRK Nuclear Test

China Daily (“NORTH KOREA HAILS HISTORIC NUCLEAR TEST”, 2009-10-09) reported that the PRC government is resolutely opposed to the nuclear test by the DPRK. “The DPRK ignored universal opposition of the international community and flagrantly conducted the nuclear test on October 9. The Chinese government is resolutely opposed to it,” said a PRC Foreign Ministry statement. It said the PRC strongly demands the DPRK live up to its commitment to non-nuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, stop any activity that may worsen the situation and return to the six-party talks. The PRC government calls for calm response from all parties concerned and urges them to stick to peaceful resolution of the issue through consultations and dialogues.

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7. Japan on DPRK Nuclear Test

Mainichi Daily News (“JAPAN THREATENS IMMEDIATE AND STERN MEASURES OVER NORTH KOREA TESTS”, 2009-10-09) reported that Japan will take immediate and stern measures if the DPRK’s reported nuclear test is confirmed. “Japan is considering taking stern measures immediately,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said. A test would constitute “a serious challenge to our country that we condemn.” He declined to give further details on what measures Japan might take.

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8. Musical on DPRK Human Rights

Reuters (“NORTH KOREA GULAG PLAY DRAWS STANDING U.S. OVATION”, 2009-10-06) reported that the musical play about the DPRK’s prison camps drew a standing ovation from a high-powered Washington audience — a reaction activists said hoped would focus attention on human rights. The U.S. premiere of DPRK refugee Jung Sung-san’s Yoduk Story was attended on Wednesday by senior officials from the White House, Pentagon and State Department responsible for dealing with the DPRK. It is a harrowing, three-hour musical about arbitrary arrest, brute violence, rape and summary executions in one of a network of North Korean political prison camps that human rights experts say hold 200,000 inmates, including children imprisoned with their parents.

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9. Japan-ROK Relations

Joongang Ilbo (“ROH, ABE AGREE ON NORTH KOREA BUT NOT MUCH ELSE”, 2006-10-09) reported that President Roh Moo-hyun said he found “no different views” from those of Japan’s prime minister, Shinzo Abe, in their condemnation of the DPRK’s nuclear test. A senior ROK official suggested that the two men found no common ground on issues other than the DPRK and cited differences between the PRC and ROK in their willingness to seek better ties with Japan. He said, “The two leaders met for the first time today and they have separate understandings of history. Today they presented their stances. We could not reach an agreement on a statement that we can jointly announce.”

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10. Japan-PRC Relations

The Los Angeles Times (“OPTIMISM AT HU-ABE SUMMIT”, 2006-10-09) reported that President Hu Jintao on Sunday termed his hastily arranged summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe a “turning point,” amid early hints of a breakthrough in troubled Sino-Japanese relations. A look at the details coming out of the summit, however, suggests how difficult it will be to bridge decades of distrust. Analysts say each nation’s view of history has been a major impediment, but the real issue is competition for influence in northeast Asia.

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11. PRC Party Plenum

The Associated Press (“CHINESE ELITE WATCHING LEADER CLOSELY “, 2006-10-09) reported that President Hu Jintao will be watched closely by the PRC’s political elite for signs that he plans to further consolidate his power at an annual policy-making meeting. Although the party has said its four-day Central Committee meeting starting Sunday will officially focus on helping the poor, it is often a time for high-level personnel changes.

(return to top) Agence France-Presse (“CHINA’S INCREASINGLY POWERFUL HU DRIVING HOME REFORM AGENDA”, 2006-10-09) reported that four years after being named the PRC’s Communist Party boss, President Hu Jintao is pushing hard to implement sweeping political reforms aimed at changing the nation’s economic growth model, analysts said. The reforms will seek to change a system where government involvement in the economy has led to powerful monopolies, widespread environmental degradation, a glaring wealth gap between rich and poor, and rampant corruption, they said. (return to top)

12. Taiwan Protest

Agence France-Presse (“MASS ANTI-CHEN RALLY PLANNED ON TAIWAN’S NATIONAL DAY”, 2006-10-09) reported that hundreds of thousands of protesters are expected to mass in the Taiwan’s capital for a rally against embattled President Chen Shui-bian that will clash with National Day celebrations. Organizers said they expected as many as two million people to protest in the square outside the Presidential Office, where National Day celebrations have also been scheduled.

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