NAPSNet Daily Report Thursday, October 20, 2005

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NAPSNet Daily Report Thursday, October 20, 2005

NAPSNet Daily Report Thursday, October 20, 2005

I. NAPSnet

Preceding NAPSNet Report

I. NAPSnet

1. DPRK Nuclear Program

The Associated Press (“RICHARDSON MEETS N. KOREA’S NO. 2 LEADER “, 2005-10-20) reported that New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, a former US ambassador to the United Nations, met with a DPRK official Thursday as he tried to press Pyongyang for specifics on how it plans to dismantle its nuclear weapons program, the nation’s official media reported. The meeting came a day after Richardson toured the DPRK’s main nuclear research facility at Yongbyon, where the DPRK is known to have secretly processed plutonium for nuclear weapons, US officials said.

(return to top) Reuters (“NORTH KOREA MUST DECLARE NUKE PLANS: SEOUL”, 2005-10-20) reported that the DPRK must disclose the full extent of its nuclear weapons programs at the next round of six party talks as part of a detailed action plan to resolve the crisis, ROK’s foreign minister said on Thursday. Ban Ki-moon also told reporters the ROK, Japan, the US, Russia and the PRC must in turn provide a detailed plan of economic assistance to the DPRK at the talks, which are expected to start in early November. (return to top)

2. US on DPRK Nuclear Program

Voice of America News (“RUMSFIELD: ANY NORTH KOREA AGREEMENT NEEDS STRONG VERIFICATION”, 2005-10-18) reported that US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld says any agreement with the DPRK on providing technology and other incentives in return for giving up its nuclear weapons programs will need a strong verification system. The secretary made the comment on his way to the PRC, which he says is best positioned to convince the Pyongyang government to follow through on last month’s breakthrough in efforts to end the DPRK’s nuclear programs. Secretary Rumsfeld told reporters that the DPRK will likely not figure prominently in his talks with the PRC leaders, because other US officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, have been in Beijing to discuss the issue.

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3. Russia on DPRK Nuclear Program

Pravda (“NEXT ROUND OF KOREAN TALKS MUST SET OUT CONCRETE STEPS TOWARD SOLUTION OF NUCLEAR, PROBLEM RUSSIAN ENVOY”, 2005-10-20) reported that the next round of talks on the DPRK’s nuclear program should set up a so-called road map of concrete steps toward resolution of the dispute, a Russian envoy said Thursday in an interview with the ITAR-Tass news agency. “If we speak of the agenda for the next round, it seems to us that it should be devoted to working out elements of a concrete plan for realizing the agreements achieved,” said Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Alexeyev, who represents Moscow at the talks. He said the discussions should concentrate on determining the “sequence, character and volume” of steps needed for progress toward nuclear disarmament on the Korean Peninsula.

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4. Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation

Yonhap News (“TWO KOREAS MEETS TO DISCUSS AGENDA FOR NEXT WEEK’S ECONOMIC TALKS “, 2005-10-20) reported that working-level officials from the ROK and the DPRK met Thursday in the DPRK’s border town of Kaesong to fine-tune the agenda for their upcoming economic cooperation talks, officials at Seoul’s Unification Ministry said. It is the first time for the two sides to discuss agenda items before the opening of any inter-Korean talks, they added.

(return to top) The Korea Times (“NORTH KOREA THREATENS TO BREAK UP WITH HYUNDAI”, 2005-10-20) reported that the DPRK Thursday warned Hyundai Group that it could review all of its ongoing businesses with the ROK conglomerate, saying the group “ungratefully and rashly” ousted Kim Yoon-kyu, former vice chairman of the group, from his position. An agreement made between the group and the DPRK authorities in August 2000, which gave the company exclusive rights for seven joint ventures in the DPRK, is only effective with mutual approval and it can be corrected or re-negotiated accordingly, the statement said. Vice Unification Minister Rhee Bong-jo said that the dialogue between the two business partners is necessary. (return to top)

5. Inter-Korean Maritime Cooperation

Yonhap News (“S. KOREAN FIRM WINS FISHING RIGHT IN N. KOREA “, 2005-10-20) reported that a local trading company said Thursday that it has obtained a right from the DPRK authorities to fish in waters off the country’s east coast, becoming the first ROK firm to do so. “We signed a contract on the fishing right with the North’s National Economic Cooperation Federation at a hotel at Mount Geumgang on Saturday,” said Park Ye-duck, president of Taechang Co.

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6. Korean Cultural Relations

Reuters (“S KOREA HONOURED AT BOOK FAIR, NO SHOW FROM NORTH “, 2005-10-19) reported that when the Frankfurt Book Fair made Korea a special guest this year, ROK responded with enthusiasm, sending a delegation of 400 authors, dignitaries and performers to forge closer cultural ties with Europe. Juergen Boos, the fair’s director, hinted at his disappointment that Pyongyang would not shed its reclusive image. ”We wanted to present the whole of Korean culture, not just north or south, a culture which cannot be divided by a border,” he said. Germany, itself once divided between communism and capitalism, would be the ideal host for the two Koreas, and a political symposium in the buildup to this year’s event touched on the problems of reunification.

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7. US Activists on DPRK Refugees

Yonhap News (“HUMAN RIGHTS ADVOCATES BASH U.S. FOR NOT ACCEPTING N.K. REFUGEES “, 2005-10-19) reported that a nascent US coalition advocating human rights improvement in the DPRK accused the George W. Bush administration of hypocrisy for not accepting any refugees from the DPRK while demanding other countries do so. “The U.S. has no credibility to talk about North Korean refugees until we open our doors to a greater degree,” said Hudson Institute senior fellow Michael Horowitz, a leading member of the coalition.

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8. EU on DPRK Human Rights

Yonhap News Agency (“EU MAY INTRODUCE N.K. RIGHTS RESOLUTION IN U.N. NEXT WEEK: SOURCES “, 2005-10-20) reported that the European Union is seeking to adopt a resolution demanding the DPRK address its human rights conditions at ongoing UN General Assembly session, diplomats in the UN said Thursday. The diplomats said the EU has been compiling the draft, which could be presented to the Third Committee of the General Assembly dealing with social issues as early as next week.

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9. DPRK Role in APEC forum

The Associated Press (“SOUTH KOREA BACKS AWAY ON MINING TALKS “, 2005-10-20) reported that the ROK decided not to encourage Pacific Rim economies to pursue mining cooperation with the DPRK, officials said, backing away from earlier plans to raise the issue at an international meeting. In a document distributed earlier to delegates at a gathering of energy ministers and mining officials from the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, the ROK Korea had said it wanted APEC economies to consider taking part in joint resources development projects in the DPRK. However, at the end of the day, the ROK decided against making a formal proposal and there was no mention of the DPRK in the joint statement issued at the close of the 2nd APEC Meeting.

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10. DPRK Technology

Agence France Presse (“NORTH KOREA EMBRACES IT, SHACKLES INTERNET “, 2005-10-20) reported that the DPRK’s has it own version of the internet, a highly censored Intranet that has its own messaging function. It is policed by the Korea Computer Center, the DPRK’s window on the World Wide Web and its leading high technology research and development hub. The center, set up in 1990, acts as the government’s gatekeeper, selecting only approved information and downloading it onto the Intranet, whose content is mostly limited to science and technology and available only to selected research institutes, universities, factories, and a few individuals.

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11. PRC-US Visit

The Washington Post (“RUMSFELD CHIDES CHINA FOR ‘MIXED SIGNALS'”, 2005-10-19) reported that Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld complained to PRC leaders on Wednesday that they have been sending “mixed signals” citing a series of diplomatic snubs and a tepid response for expanded military exchanges with the US.

(return to top) Xinhua (“CHINA, US DEFENSE CHIEFS AGREE TO UPGRADE TIES”, 2005-10-19) reported that PRC Defense Minister Cao Gangchuan and his US counterpart Donald Rumsfeld agreed in their talks on Wednesday to upgrade Sino-US military ties and make it consistent with overall bilateral relations. (return to top)

12. PRC Domestic

Xinhua (“CHINA ISSUES 1ST WHITE PAPER ON DEMOCRACY”, 2005-10-19) reported that the Information Office of the PRC’s State Council issued a white paper vowing to actively push forward the Democratic reforms of its political system. The white paper is the first of its kind giving a detailed account of the inception, development and contents of the socialist political democracy and the principles the PRC will abide by.

(return to top) Xinhua (“NATION TO CONDUCT 3RD SAMPLE CENSUS”, 2005-10-19) reported that the PRC will begin its third national sample census in early November, aiming to make clearer China’s population: age, gender, distribution, profession, income, housings condition, health condition, education, marital condition and employment. (return to top)

13. PRC & the United Nations

Xinhua (“UN OFFICIAL PRAISES CHINA’S RELIEF EFFORTS”, 2005-10-20) reported that a United Nations emergency relief co-ordinator spoke highly yesterday of the PRC’s relief efforts in the aftermath of a massive earthquake in Pakistan earlier this month.

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14. Hong Kong Democracy

The Washington Post (“HONG KONG DEMOCRATS BLAST REFORM PLAN”, 2005-10-19) reported that the Hong Kong government unveiled a package of limited political reforms on Wednesday that would add seats to the legislature and expand the committee the PRC uses to appoint the territory’s chief executive. Opposition democrats immediately condemned the plan as inadequate and vowed to block it.

(return to top) Japan Today (“HK GOV’T SAYS TIME NOT RIPE FOR DIRECT ELECTIONS”, 2005-10-20) reported that the Hong Kong government on Wednesday unveiled a package of political reforms but said the time is still not ripe for directly electing the territory’s chief executive and legislators. (return to top)

15. Taiwan Domestic

The China Post (“CO-PILOT OF NAVY CHOPPER DIES, TWO MISSING IN CRASH”, 2005-10-20) reported that an anti-submarine helicopter of the Taiwan Navy crashed into the sea about 30 nautical miles off the Tsoying naval base in Kaohsiung last evening.

(return to top) The China Post (“CHEN’S RULE ISN’T PRESIDENTIAL, BUT IMPERIAL, MAYOR MA SAYS”, 2005-10-20) reported that the Mayor of Taipei Ma Ying-jeou characterized President Chen Shui-bian’s rule as that of an emperor. (return to top) The China Post (“VOTE BUYING A SERIOUS PROBLEM FOR ELECTIONS: HSIEH”, 2005-10-20) reported that Premier Frank Hsieh yesterday said vote buying was likely to be a serious problem in the year-end town and county chief elections with prices as high as NT$5 million. (return to top)

16. Russia-South Asia Security

ITAR-TASS: News Agency (“FIRST RUSSIAN-INDIAN ANTITERRORIST EXERCISE COMING TO AN END”, 2005-10-20) reported that the first-ever Russian-Indian antiterrorist exercise codenamed Indra’2005 comes an end Thursday.

(return to top) ITAR-TASS: News Agency (“NAUTICAL PHASE OF INDRA-2005 EXERCISES TO BEGIN IN BENGAL BAY”, 2005-10-18) reported that the active nautical phase of the Indra-2005 Russo-Indian anti-terrorist exercises begins in the Bay of Bengal on Tuesday. The sea exercises are to be held as previously planned in spite of adverse weather in the area, involving Russia’s Pacific Fleet: guided missile cruiser Varyag, two large anti-submarine ships Admiral Panteleyev and Admiral Tributs, India’s destroyer Mumbay, the frigates Ranjit and Rajput, and one diesel-electric submarine. (return to top)

17. Russia-PRC Security Talks

ITAR-TASS: News Agency (“BEIJING TO HOST 2D ROUND OF RUSSIA-CHINA SECURITY TALKS”, 2005-10-18) reported that Senior Russian and PRC officials will meet in Beijing on October 19-21 for a second round of strategic security talks, PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan said on Tuesday.

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18. Russia & China: Bird Flu

The Los Angeles Times (“BIRD FLU IS DETECTED IN CHINA AND IN RUSSIA”, 2005-10-20) reported that Russian authorities on Wednesday detected a deadly strain of avian flu in birds south of Moscow, and the PRC reported a fresh outbreak among birds in its northern grasslands.

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19. Japan Military

Japan Today (“GSDF, HOKKAIDO POLICE CONDUCT DRILL AGAINST ‘ARMED AGENTS'”, 2005-10-20) reported that Police and the Ground Self-Defense Force on Thursday conducted a joint drill in Hokkaido under the scenario of an incursion by armed enemy agents into Japan. The drill at the GSDF Makomanai garrison in Sapporo is the first police-GSDF joint drill aimed at maintaining public order in the event of an emergency.

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