Preceding NAPSNet Report

I. United States

1. PRC on DPRK Nuclear Talks

Xinhua News (“NEXT ROUND OF SIX-PARTY TALKS NOT YET SCHEDULED”, 2004-12-07) reported that no timetable has been made so far for the next round of the six-party talks, but all relevant parties are working hard on consultation and coordination, PRC Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Zhang Qiyue said here Tuesday.

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2. US on DPRK Nuclear Talks

Reuters (“U.S. NEGOTIATOR IN BEIJING TO PRESS N. KOREA TALKS”, 2004-12-07) reported that the US pressed a diplomatic initiative to end the crisis over the DPRK’s nuclear program on Monday but a US official dismissed any idea that Washington was about to soften its stance. Joseph DeTrani flew to Beijing at the weekend for meetings on Monday and Tuesday. He will be in the ROK on Wednesday and then in Japan for two days, the official told Reuters.

(return to top) Agence France Presse (“US IN BID TO JUMPSTART NKOREA TALKS AMID NUCLEAR BOMB WARNING”, 2004-12-07) reported that a US special envoy left for the PRC, ROK, and Japan in a bid to jump start DPRK nuclear talks, the State Department said, as the UN nuclear watchdog chief warned Pyongyang could develop up to six atomic bombs. Mohamed ElBaradei, the head of the IAEA, told the New York Times he was now certain the nuclear material his agency once monitored in the DPRK had been converted into fuel for four to six nuclear bombs. (return to top) Korea Times (“US CONFIRMS TALKS WITH N. KOREA IN NEW YORK”, 2004-12-07) reported that the US reopened its New York communication channel last week to deliver the message to the DPRK that it wants to resume the six-party nuclear talks without preconditions, the State Department said in a news briefing on Monday. “The purpose of those meetings was not to negotiate with North Koreans,” he said. “The purpose was to state to the North Koreans that the United States is ready to resume the six-party talks at an early date and without preconditions and that we want to resolve the nuclear issue diplomatically.” (return to top)

3. IAEA on DPRK Nuclear Program

Donga Ilbo (“NORTH KOREA HAS WEAPONS-GRADE PLUTONIUM”, 2004-12-07) reported that Mohamed El-Baradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), said Monday that he was now certain that the DPRK has reprocessed spent nuclear fuel rods to secure enough plutonium to produce four to six nuclear weapons.

(return to top) The New York Times (“NORTH KOREA SAID TO EXPAND ARMS PROGRAM”, 2004-12-06) reported that nearly two years after international nuclear inspectors were ejected from the DPRK, the director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency says he is now certain that the nuclear material his agency once monitored there has been converted into fuel for four to six nuclear bombs. (return to top)

4. ROK on DPRK Nuclear Program

Yonhap (“N.K. POSSIBLY ‘BLUFFING’ ON NUCLEAR WEAPONS: RULING PARTY CHAIRMAN”, 2004-12-07) reported that the head of the ROK’s ruling party claimed Tuesday the DPRK may not possess any nuclear weapons yet and called on Seoul to take matters into its own hands. “I think the fact that there has never been a country which has developed or tried to possess nuclear weapons while publicly announcing that it is developing the ultimate weapon shows North Korea may be somewhat bluffing about its nuclear weapons,” said Lee Bu-young, chairman of the ruling Uri Party.

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5. DPRK on ROK Nuclear Experiment

Korean Central News Agency of the DPRK (“NORTH KOREA SLAMS IAEA, US BID TO “COVER UP” SOUTH NUCLEAR ISSUE”, 2004-12-07) reported that the IAEA made an unfair decision to hush up the ROK’s secret nuclear experiments under US pressure and ROK lobbying. In order to achieve peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula, it is necessary to probe the truth about the ROK’s nuclear development and not to tolerate the US self-righteous double standards and arbitrary practices under any circumstances.

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6. Japan on DPRK – Japanese Relations

Kyodo News (“KOIZUMI: WILLING TO NORMALIZE JAPAN-N KOREA TIES”, 2004-12-07) reported that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Tuesday stressed the importance of normalizing diplomatic ties between Japan and the DPRK even though he feels he cannot forgive the DPRK’s abductions of Japanese citizens, Kyodo News reported.

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7. DPRK on DPRK – Japanese Relations

Korean Central News Agency of the DPRK (“NORTH KOREA SAYS JAPAN THREATENING STABILITY OF NORTHEAST ASIA”, 2004-12-07) reported that Japan, in a new defense program, termed the DPRK, PRC and Russia untransparent and unstable elements in the way of ensuring regional security. The Japanese militarists’ reckless moves for military expansion under the pretext of “coping with threat” are escalating instability in Northeast Asia and increasing the danger of war there.

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8. DPRK Political Reform

Joongang Ilbo (“SOURCES SAY NORTH’S POLITICAL BASE GETS A MAKEOVER”, 2004-12-07) reported that the DPRK’s Workers’ Party, a key power center in the DPRK, has undergone a major shake-up, sources familiar with the internal affairs of the country said yesterday. The country’s leader, Kim Jong-il, has directed a broad reshuffling of the party, the sources said. A source who closely follows political affairs in the DPRK said the changes in the Workers’ Party reflect an effort by Mr. Kim to assert greater power over the country’s military.

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9. ROK on DPRK Stability

Chosun Ilbo (“ALL QUIET ON THE NORTHERN FRONT: UNIFICATION MINISTER”, 2004-12-07) reported that “No peculiar signs have been observed in the North Korean situation lately,” said Unification Minister Chung Dong-young on Tuesday. “The government assesses North Korea’s political situation as stable.” Chung made the remarks in response to comments from opposition Grand National Party lawmaker Kim Moon-soo. Kim had asked for details to support President Roh Moo-hyun’s statement that, “there is almost no possibility of the North Korean regime collapsing.”

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10. Defector on DPRK Collapse

Chosun Ilbo (“N.K. WILL COLLAPSE GRADUALLY: SENIOR DEFECTOR”, 2004-12-07) reported that the DPRK is on the road to collapse, but the process will take time and it is essential to ensure that the transition is handled gradually, said Hwang Jang-yeop, the former secretary of the DPRK Workers’ Party, Tuesday. Hwang claimed that it was unrealistic to talk about using military pressure and economic sanctions to accelerate the DPRK’s collapse. He stressed that democracy demanded it be dismantled in a peaceful and fair manner.

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11. Roh on DPRK Collapse

Chosun Ilbo (“ROH STRESSES INADVISABILITY OF N.K. REGIME COLLAPSE”, 2004-12-07) reported that in a summit with French President Jacques Chirac in France, ROK President Roh Moo-hyun said some have prescribed to the collapse of the DPRK’s regime, but he thinks this is inadvisable since it would cause more problems for neighboring countries. Mr. Chirac also acknowledged, President Roh’s efforts to compel the DPRK into adopting reforms and openness once the nuclear issue is resolved.

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12. PRC, ROK Policy on DPRK Nuclear Issue

Yonhap (“SEOUL, BEIJING SEEK DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO N.K. NUCLEAR CRISIS”, 2004-12-07) reported that the ROK and PRC appear to pursue subtly different approaches to solving the DPRK nuclear weapons crisis, officials and scholars attending a forum in Seoul said Tuesday. At the fourth forum of the Korea-China Leaders Society held in Seoul, the participants shared the view that both Seoul and Beijing want a peaceful solution to the DPRK’s nuclear crisis, though their methods of approach are different.

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13. DPRK on US – ROK Military Alliance

The Associated Press (“NORTH KOREA CRITICIZES UNITED STATES FOR BOLSTERING DEFENSE IN SOUTH KOREA”, 2004-12-07) reported that the DPRK criticized the US for deploying new missile defense batteries on the divided Korean Peninsula, and vowed to increase its “war deterrent force.” The US “is shipping ultramodern military hardware into South Korea behind the curtain of ‘dialogue’ and ‘peace’ so as to mount a pre-emptive attack on the DPRK by surprise,” the DPRK’s Minju Joson newspaper said.

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14. US on US-ROK Alliance

Donga Ilbo (“THE U.S. EXPRESSING REGRET OVER THE DISCLOSURE BY LAWMAKER ROH HOE-CHAN”, 2004-12-07) reported that the US Department of Defense made a comment on the disclosure of the content of the Future of the Alliance Initiatives (FOTA) talks by ROK lawmaker Roh Hoe-chan. “We are confident that the Korean government will maintain the system which is designed for confidential information sharing of both nations.” The Pentagon did not comment on the truth of the disclosed information.

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15. US – ROK Alliance Conference

Yonhap (“U.S. SCHOLAR ACCUSES ROH OF TRYING TO PROP UP N. KOREA’S REGIME”, 2004-12-07) reported that a prominent US human rights activist accused ROK President Roh Moo-hyun Tuesday of trying to keep DPRK leader Kim Jong-il in power. Michael Horowitz, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, claimed that the world sees the “lunatic” DPRK leader as finished and is beginning to map out strategy on how to deal with the post-Kim Jong-il regime but Seoul is not involved in that process.

(return to top) Donga Ilbo (“A FIVE-WAY SECURITY SYSTEM IS NEEDED AMONG KOREA, U.S., CHINA, JAPAN, AND RUSSIA”, 2004-12-07) reported that an international conference on the ROK-US alliance and the future of Northeast Asia was held on December 6 at Johns Hopkins University in Washington D.C. with participation of some 30 experts from the ROK and the US. Professor Francis Fukuyama of Johns Hopkins University argued in his keynote speech that a five-say security system excluding the DPRK among members of the six-party talks is needed. (return to top)

16. ROK on US-ROK Relations

Joongang Ilbo (“ROH SEEKS ALLIES BEYOND THE U.S.”, 2004-12-07) reported that President Roh Moo-hyun has told professors and students here that the ROK needs more friends around the world and suggested the US holds too much sway over his country. “There may be some American friends who would feel sorry if I say something,” Mr. Roh responded. “But nobody should attempt to monopolize friends. All civilizations that did not have exchanges with others went into decline over time. Korea thus wants to exchange and cooperate with many other friends and develop its culture more creatively.”

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17. Inter Korean Economic Cooperation

Asia Pulse (“WOORI BANK OPENS BRANCH IN N. KOREAN INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX”, 2004-12-07) reported that Woori Bank, ROK’s second-biggest bank by assets, on Tuesday opened a branch in the DPRK city of Kaesong where a large-scale industrial complex is under construction. More than 140 high-ranking officials from the two Koreas attended the ceremony in the city close to the inter-Korean border.

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18. Inter – Korean Maritime Border Violation

Yonhap (“NORTH KOREAN PATROL BOAT BRIEFLY ENTERS SOUTH WATERS”, 2004-12-07) reported that a DPRK patrol boat briefly violated the UN-drawn western sea border with the ROK Tuesday 7 December, the ROK military said. The boat intruded 0.2 mile into ROK waters at 11.59 a.m. 0259 gmt while chasing away PRC fishing vessels in the area, the office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

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19. ROK Policy on DPRK Defectors

Yonhap (“N. KOREAN DEFECTORS TO RECEIVE LESS RESETTLEMENT MONEY “, 2004-12-07) reported that DPRK defectors to the ROK will receive less resettlement money from next year and get an additional subsidy if they work, officials at the Unification Ministry said Tuesday. The Cabinet approved rules to be attached to a law on the protection of and support for DPRK defectors at a meeting presided over by Prime Minister Lee Hae-chan, the officials said.

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20. DPRK Military

Yonhap (“NORTH KOREA TO HOLD MILITARY CONVENTION IN FEBRUARY”, 2004-12-07) reported that the DPRK said on Tuesday that it will hold a military convention in Pyongyang in February, marking the 10th anniversary of the DPRK’s military-first politics initiated by its leader Kim Jong-il.

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21. DPRK Storm

ITAR-TASS (“HEAVY SNOW STORM PARALYZES TRAFFIC IN NORTH KOREAN CAPITAL”, 2004-12-07) reported that first heavy snow storm has almost fully paralyzed traffic in Pyongyang. Large snowflakes and the temperature of around zero degrees Celsius have formed slush on the roads, making drivers move with maximum caution. There was no information on what was happening in other parts of the country, but foreign weather monitoring services said a cyclone had encompassed almost the entire Korean Peninsula.

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22. DPRK Religion

Yonhap (“EX-SOUTH KOREAN PASTOR WORKS FOR N. KOREAN CHRISTIAN FEDERATION”, 2004-12-07) reported that a ROK pastor said to have been kidnapped by the DPRK nearly a decade ago is active in the country’s cloistered Christian community, a source in the PRC border city said last weekend. Rev. Ahn Seung-un, 60, disappeared in 1995 in Yanji, a city in the PRC’s border province of Jilin, where he was helping DPRK citizens defect to the ROK.

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23. Jenkins Case

Los Angeles Times (“U.S. DESERTER HEADS TO JAPANESE WIFE’S TOWN”, 2004-12-07) reported that nearly four decades after deserting the US Army for the DPRK, Charles Robert Jenkins left a US military base outside Tokyo to start a new life in his wife’s hometown on a remote island in northern Japan. His departure came almost two weeks after he had served nearly a month in prison for deserting. Jenkins met his Japanese wife, Hitomi Soga, after she was abducted to the DPRK.

(return to top) Reuters (“U.S. DESERTER STARTS ‘LAST CHAPTER’ OF LIFE IN JAPAN”, 2004-12-07) reported that a former US army sergeant who deserted to the DPRK in the 1960s arrived on a remote Japanese island Tuesday to start what he said was the “last chapter” of his life with his wife and two daughters. “It is here on this island of Sado in Japan that I will hopefully live my remaining days with my wife and children,” he said, as his wife, Hitomi Soga, 45, and daughters sat by his side. (return to top)

24. ROK National Security Law

Joongang Ilbo (“SECURITY LAW DEBATE POSTPONED”, 2004-12-07) reported that after feisty physical sessions in the National Assembly, the governing Uri Party and the opposition Grand National Party agreed yesterday to postpone debate over the National Security Law. Their confrontation reached a physical peak. During hearings at the Assembly’s Legislation and Judiciary Committee last Friday and Monday, lawmakers from the parties bumped and pushed each other over the bill.

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25. ROK on Northeast Asian Integration

Korea Times (“SEOUL TO LEAD INTEGRATION OF ASIAN REGION: ROH”, 2004-12-07) reported that President Roh Moo-hyun said on Monday the ROK will play a leading role in integrating the Northeast Asian region as France has done in developing the European Union. While meeting with some 250 university professors and students in the Sorbonne in Paris, Roh set out the ambitious vision, which has already been introduced a couple of times during his Asian and European tours.

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26. ROK – US Military Alliance

Joongang Ilbo (“TALKS START ON SHARING COSTS OF U.S. PRESENCE”, 2004-12-07) reported that the Foreign Ministry said yesterday that the ROK and the US will hold talks in Seoul today to discuss the ROK’s financial contribution to keeping US military forces on the peninsula. The majority of countries in which the US military is located pick up 75 percent of the stationing cost as is expected by the US Congress. The US is expected to ask Seoul to increase its contribution that currently is around 45 percent.

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27. US – ROK Relations

Joongang Ilbo (“SEOUL, WASHINGTON DISCUSS WAIVING VISAS”, 2004-12-07) reported that Seoul and Washington began their first round of working-level talks yesterday to discuss the possibility of adding the ROK to the US Visa Waiver Program. In order to qualify for the program, the non-immigrant visa refusal rate for nationals of a country must average less than 3 percent.

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28. Sino-German Relations on Arms Embargo, UNSC Seat

The Associated Press (“SCHROEDER SAYS CHINA ENDORSES ITS BID FOR PERMANENT SEAT ON U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL”, 2004-12-07) reported that German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said PRC President Hu Jintao on Tuesday endorsed Germany’s campaign for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council. On Monday, Schroeder called for an end to a 15-year European arms embargo on the PRC, imposed after the bloody 1989 crackdown on democracy protests centered around Tiananmen Square.

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29. Cross Strait Relations

Kyodo News (“CHINESE TOURISTS VISIT TAIWAN FRONTLINE ISLAND FOR 1ST TIME”, 2004-12-07) reported that dozens of mainland Chinese visited Taiwan’s outlying island of Kinmen on Tuesday, becoming the first group of PRC tourists to travel to the frontline fortress in decades, the Central News Agency reported. A total of 55 mainlanders, including members of a coal association in Fujian Province, set off from Xiamen port and arrived in the afternoon at Kinmen, located about 10 kilometers west of the PRC mainland and 227 km east of the island of Taiwan, for a three-day sightseeing tour.

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30. PRC Pollution

Agence France Presse (“CHINA NOW ACCOUNTS FOR A SEVENTH OF WORLD CARBON POLLUTION: IEA”, 2004-12-07) reported that the PRC is now the world’s second biggest polluter of carbon dioxide, accounting for a seventh of the total, after the US, which emits nearly a quarter, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said. The biggest polluter by far was the US, with 23.5 percent of the total, followed by the PRC, with 13.6 percent.

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31. PRC AIDS Issue

The Associated Press (“HEAD OF GLOBAL FUND FOR AIDS SAYS DISEASE ‘GROWING RAPIDLY’ IN CHINA”, 2004-12-07) reported that the head of a global AIDS group warned Tuesday that the disease is spreading rapidly in the PRC, disputing government figures that suggest the infection rate has remained the same since last year but praising Beijing’s newly aggressive efforts to fight the illness. Despite its disease-fighting efforts, the communist government still harasses activists who agitate for better measures and state media are allowed to report only statistics that the government has already acknowledged.

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32. PRC Human Rights

Agence France-Presse (“CANADIAN PM PROMISES TO RAISE HUMAN RIGHTS ON CHINA TRIP”, 2004-12-07) reported that Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin is promising not to downplay concerns over human rights in a pitch for more lucrative trade ties with the PRC when he travels to meet President Hu Jintao next month. Martin warned that the PRC’s growing power and influence in the world, including its hosting of the 2008 summer Olympics, thrust new obligations on the leadership in Beijing.

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II. CanKor

33. KEDO LWR Project

CanKor (“CANKOR #187”, 2004-12-07) The Korean Energy Development Organization (KEDO) announces a one-year extension of the freeze imposed on its light-water nuclear reactors project in the DPRK until the next review in 2005. www.CanKor.ca

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34. DPRK Food Aid

CanKor (“CANKOR #187”, 2004-12-07) The “best harvest in ten years,” reports the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) in their recently completed crop assessment survey. Unfortunately, the DPRK will nonetheless post another substantial food deficit in 2005, requiring external aid to support more than a quarter of its 23.7 million people, due to insufficient production, a deficient diet, lower incomes and rising prices. www.CanKor.ca

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35. ROK-US Relations

CanKor (“CANKOR #187”, 2004-12-07) ROK President Roh Moo-hyun appeals to the DPRK to return to six-party talks, saying that in a meeting with US President George W. Bush he was assured Washington’s approach leans toward a peaceful resolution through dialogue. Roh also feels the US-ROK relationship is improving and asks the press to “stop causing friction between the two countries.” www.CanKor.ca

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