NAPSNet Daily Report Thursday, October 06, 2005
- 1. IAEA on DPRK Nuclear Program
2. Armistice Treaty
3. GNP on ROK Government, Unification Minister
4. DPRK-Russian Trade Relations
5. USFK Preparedness
6. International Aid in DPRK
7. DPRK Human Rights
8. DPRK Food Rationing
9. DPRK Leadership
10. DPRK Celebrations
11. Japan-ROK Relations
12. US-Japan Relations
13. Japan & Yasukuni Shrine
14. Japan & the UN
15. Japan & The War on Terror
16. Japan & Iraq
17. US-Cross Strait Relations
18. Russia & DPRK
19. Russia Environment & Development
I. NAPSnet
1. IAEA on DPRK Nuclear Program
Agence France Presse (“RUSSIA, IAEA DISCUSS IRAN AND NORTH KOREA “, 2005-10-05) reported that the Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held talks with the head of the UN nuclear watchdog, IAEA, centering on controversial nuclear programs in Iran and the DPRK. Interfax and ITAR-TASS quoted Mohamed ElBaradei, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), as saying that the talks focused on ways to reduce risks of “misuse” of civilian nuclear energy programs, but provided no further details.
2. Armistice Treaty
Yonhap News (“RULING PARTY CHIEF FORECASTS CHANGES IN INTER-KOREAN RELATIONS”, 2005-10-06) reported that the head of ROK’s ruling Uri Party claimed Thursday there will be a significant change to the armistice treaty dividing the two Koreas in the near future. “There is a very high possibility that the cease-fire regime will be changed within three years,” Rep. Moon Hee-sang said in a press conference with a group of Japanese journalists here.
3. GNP on ROK Government, Unification Minister
Yonhap News (“GNP LAWMAKER ACCUSES UNIFICATION MINISTER OF AIDING N.K.”, 2005-10-06) reported that a member of the ROK’s main opposition Grand National Party (GNP) on Thursday denounced the government and its Unification Minister, claiming they are working to aid the country’s main enemy, the DPRK. Rep. Kim Yong-kap stopped just short of accusing Unification Minister Chung Dong-young of treason, claiming the minister has been working to meet what he claimed to be the unreasonable demands of the DPRK since taking office in June 2004.
4. DPRK-Russian Trade Relations
Yonhap News (“RUSSIA TO CLOSE ITS TRADE OFFICE IN N. KOREA”, 2005-10-06) reported that Russia has decided to withdraw its trade representative from the DPRK capital of Pyongyang next year as part of a streamlining of its trade offices worldwide, a ROK trade promotion agency said Thursday. According to the plan, Russia will close its trade offices in 52 countries, including the DPRK, and open new offices in eight countries, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) said. “It seems Russia has decided to shut down its Pyongyang office because of the small volume of trade between the two nations,” a KOTRA official said.
5. USFK Preparedness
Yonhap News (“USFK SAYS IT ADDRESSES PROBLEMS WITH WAR STOCKS”, 2005-10-06) reported that the US military said Thursday it identified and addressed disrepair problems with its armaments in the ROK, which could slow its readiness for possible DPRK hostilities and other regional conflicts.
6. International Aid in DPRK
The Chosun Ilbo (“N.KOREA CHUCKS OUT NGO STAFF”, 2005-10-06) reported that after the DPRK announced it will no longer accept food aid from official international organizations, the 12 NGOs operating in Pyongyang have now also been told to pack up and get out before the end of the year. The New York Times on Thursday reported DPRK officials “say they want private aid projects to continue, but they want resident foreigners to leave, returning occasionally to monitor the work.”
(return to top) The Korea Times (“SOUTH, NORTH KOREAN STUDENTS INVITED TO US HOME STAY PROGRAM”, 2005-10-06) reported that an US nonprofit organization plans to bring high school students of the two Koreas together in the US to help promote peace and prosperity on the Korean Peninsula, Thomas Areton, president of Cultural Homestay International (CHI), said in an interview with The Korea Times. He said that the CHI has been in contact with the DPRK delegation at the UN but failed to receive a positive response from the DPRK. “All expenses in bringing North Korean students to the US will be covered by us and we ask the North Korean government to select a group of high school students to allow them to attend our program,’’ Areton said. He noted that such a program was a big success in bringing students of East and West Germany together in the past. (return to top)
7. DPRK Human Rights
Yonhap News (“SEOUL CONCERNED ABOUT POSSIBLE U.N. RESOLUTION ON N. KOREA”, 2005-10-06) reported that the ROK is concerned that the current session of the UN General Assembly may introduce a resolution denouncing the DPRK’s human rights conditions, Foreign Ministry officials said. If a resolution is put to a vote, it would mark the first time for the UN General Assembly to take up the DPR Korean human rights issue.
8. DPRK Food Rationing
The Donga Ilbo (“NORTH KOREA ADOPTS NEW FOOD RATIONING SYSTEM”, 2005-10-05) reported that more is becoming known about a new food rationing system introduced in urban areas of the DPRK as of this month. The new rationing system is not just a revival of the previous one, but includes a dual pricing system. “The most notable part of the new rationing system is that it sets a lower price for those who go to work, and a higher one for those who do not,” said Choi Young-ho, a merchant. With the new system the government will purchase the crops produced at separately cultivated fields and farmers will be distributed a certain amount of food all at once in autumn, instead of receiving monthly rations with the surplus being sold to the government. Selling food on the market will be severely regulated, giving farmers no choice but to sell the crop to the government, but fortunately the government purchasing price is on the high side, close to the more expensive price of the dual pricing system.
9. DPRK Leadership
Yonhap News (“N. KOREA NOT PREPARED TO ANNOUNCE SUCCESSOR: EXPERTS”, 2005-10-06) reported that ahead of the 60th anniversary of the founding of the North Workers’ Party on Monday, speculation is mounting over who will succeed North Korean leader Kim Jong-il. But experts here said Kim is unlikely to hurry the process of power succession due to the political situation in and outside of the country. Some analysts, including Cheong Seong-chang, a research fellow at the private Sejong Institute, say Kim’s second son Jong-chol is now the heir-apparent to Kim. But others contend youngest son Jong-un has risen to become the most likely successor. “The power succession will not be based on blood-line, and there will be no more hereditary power successions,” said Nam Sung-wook, a DPRK expert at Korea University in Seoul.
10. DPRK Celebrations
Yonhap News (“N.K. TO HOLD MASSIVE MILITARY PARADE ON WORKERS’ PARTY ANNIVERSARY”, 2005-10-06) reported that despite the ongoing tension over its nuclear arms program, the DPRK plans its biggest-ever celebrations of the upcoming anniversary of its ruling party, DPRK officials said Thursday. Monday is the 60th anniversary of the founding of the North’s Workers’ Party. This year’s anniversary of the party’s founding will be observed on a scale bigger than ever before,” an official of the DPRK’s National Reconciliation Council said. “We will hold, among other things, a mass public rally, and a torch march by youths and a military parade.”
(return to top) The Korea Herald (“N. KOREA CANCELS ITS PARTY FESTIVAL INVITATION TO SEOUL”, 2005-10-06) reported that the DPRK has withdrawn its invitation to the ROK delegates to participate in celebrations of the DPRK’s ruling party foundation, the Ministry of Unification said yesterday. The reason for the abrupt decision is not known. The administration signaled its intention to invite the ROK civilian delegation as part of 60th anniversary celebrations of the foundation of DPRK’s ruling Workers’ Party on Oct. 10, in Pyongyang last week. “We do not know the reason yet,” Yang Chang-seok, the spokesman of ministry, said. “But the DPRK did cancel the invitation.” (return to top)
11. Japan-ROK Relations
The Asahi Shimbun (“IDENTIFICATION CLUES FOUND FOR ONLY 26 OF KOREAN”, 2005-10-05) reported that the Japanese government could identify only about a quarter of the remains of wartime Korean forced laborers found by local governments, meaning that hundreds of remains cannot be returned to the ROK anytime soon.
12. US-Japan Relations
Kyodo News (“RUMSFELD NOT TO VISIT JAPAN DUE TO IMPASSE OVER BASE ISSUE”, 2005-10-06) reported that US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will skip Japan during his Asian tour planned for late October due to a stalemate over the relocation of the US Marine Corps Futemma Air Station in Okinawa.
13. Japan & Yasukuni Shrine
The Japan Times (“HIGH COURTS NOT ON SAME PAGE ON YASUKUNI VISITS”, 2005-10-05) reported that The Tokyo High Court ruled Sept. 30 that Koizumi’s 2001 visit to Yasukuni was made in a private capacity and avoided ruling on constitutionality. On the following day, the Osaka High Court ruled all his visits were official and thus violated the Article 20 of the Constitution, which prohibits the state from engaging in religious education or “any other religious activity.”
14. Japan & the UN
Japan Today (“THE UNITED NATIONS: PAYMENT DUE”, 2005-10-04) reported that Japan is planning on cutting its annual contribution to the UN budget by as much as 5% when negotiations begin in the spring to determine the budget revenues for 2007-2009. This is in direct reaction to Japan’s failure, along with Brazil, Germany and India, to secure a permanent seat on the Security Council.
15. Japan & The War on Terror
Japan Today (“MORE SUSPICIOUS PACKAGES SENT TO FOREIGN MISSIONS IN MALAYSIA”, 2005-10-05) reported that more diplomatic missions in Malaysia reported receiving suspicious packages Wednesday, a day after similar ones were sent to six embassies, causing the Japanese Embassy to be temporarily shut down.
16. Japan & Iraq
The Yomiuri Shimbun (“JOBS KEY TO GSDF PULLOUT / SECURITY IN SAMAWAH PROBLEMATIC WHEN ALLIESLEAVE”, 2005-09-30) reported that the Japanese government is studying ways to begin a withdrawal of GSDF troops from Iraq in the first half of next year, sources said. The sources added that dominant view inside the government was that Japanese troops should not remain in Samawah once Australian and British forces pull out of the southern city.
17. US-Cross Strait Relations
Japan Today (“TAIWAN’S EX-PRESIDENT LEE TO VISIT U.S.”, 2005-10-06) reported that Taiwan’s former President Lee Teng-hui will be making his first visit to Washington scheduled for Oct 11-23. The move will likely spark sharp criticism from rival PRC.
18. Russia & DPRK
The Vladivostok News (“RUSSIAN GUARDS CATCH 3 N. KOREAN FISHERMEN”, 2005-10-06) reported that Russian border guards on Tuesday arrested three DPRK fishermen whom they rescued from a sinking boat in Peter the Great Bay near Vladivostok.
19. Russia Environment & Development
The Vladivostok News (“OIL SPILLS SAGA CONTINUES IN VLADIVOSTOK”, 2005-10-06) reported that some three tons of diesel oil were spilt in Zolotoi Rog Bay at Vladivostok Sea Port on Tuesday during refueling of one of the ships.