I. NAPSNet

1. DPRK Floods

Joong Ang Ilbo (“NORTH WANTS AID, JUST NOT THOSE NOODLES”, 2006-08-10) reported that the DPRK formally asked RO Korean civic groups for humanitarian aid for its flood victims — but it doesn’t want instant noodles. The country said it wants construction materials and equipment, blankets and medicine. The first formal request from the DPRK was from the Committee for Implementation of the June 15 Joint Declaration sent to its RO Korean counterpart, thanking the civic groups for helping the flood victims. In the message, the DPRK specified what they prefer to be included in the aid package. Instant noodles and clothes were singled out as less-wanted items.

(return to top) Joong Ang Ilbo (“GNP CHAIR POSES MISSION NORTH”, 2006-08-08) reported that Kang Jae-sup, leader of the ROK’s main opposition party proposed to send a fact-finding mission to the DPRK to assess the extent of flood damage. “It’s a good idea to visit North Korea to grasp exactly how broad the damage is,” he said, “regardless of sanctions brought about by the North Korean missile launches, I suppose humanitarian aid is completely allowable in times of emergency,” he added. Mr. Kang suggested the mission be composed of representatives from all parties, ruling and opposition. There was no immediate response from other parties but the DPRK is unlikely to accept the proposal. (return to top)

2. DPRK Missiles

Kyodo (“JAPAN OFFICIAL SAYS 6 OF 7 N. KOREAN MISSILES LANDED ACCURATELY”, 2006-08-09) reported that Japan’s Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Suzuki said that six of the seven missiles the DPRK launched on July 5 landed accurately in their targeted areas in the Sea of Japan, with the seventh — the long-range Taepodong — failing to hit the mark. In a speech in Nagoya, Suzuki said, “We note that the launch of Taepodong was a failure but the remaining six missiles fell accurately within a 30 to 40 kilometer square” target in the sea. The Japanese government is currently undertaking a detailed analysis in cooperation with the United States of the DPR Korean missile launches last month and is expected to release a report on them shortly.

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3. DPRK Human Rights Musical Tours US

Chosun Ilbo (“N.KOREA GULAG MUSICAL TO HIT WASHINGTON”, 2006-08-08) reported that “Yoduk Story”, the Korean musical about human rights abuses in DPRK’s notorious Yoduk concentration camp will be staged at the National Theater in Washington, DC. The musical will debut there on Sept. 21. The 165-year old National Theater is right on Pennsylvania Avenue, about 100 m from the White House, and is one of the national symbols. There will be 10 shows until Oct. 1 at the theater. The organizers said some US$1.3 million has been spent on the US performance of the musical, which has a cast and support staff of 70. Rights activists have collected contributions and invited sponsors to help the team. After the run in Washington, “Yoduk Story” will tour New York, Los Angeles and Seattle till November.

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4. US-ROK Security Alliance

Chosun Ilbo (“KOREA, U.S. SQUABBLE OVER FOOTING USFK BILL”, 2006-08-09) reported that the ROK and the US were unable to narrow their differences over who should pay what for the upkeep of the US Forces Korea in a round of talks that started Wednesday. The US says the ROK should pay a bigger share than before since it is now the 10th largest economy in the world, but Seoul proposed paying even less than this year.

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5. ROK-Japan Relations

The Associated Press (“S KOREAN FOREIGN MINISTER CALLS RELATIONS WITH JAPAN HARSH, URGES FORWARD-LOOKING APPROACH”, 2006-08-09) reported that Japan and the ROK need a more future-oriented approach to their relations if they are to overcome historical disputes that have left harsh obstacles to improving ties, the ROK foreign minister said. Ban Ki-moon urged Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe to remember historical issues when fulfilling his official duties, a reference to Japanese politicians’ visits to a Tokyo war shrine and to an increasingly tense territorial dispute over several small islands.

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6. Yasukuni Shrine Issue

Agence France-Presse (“JAPAN PM DEFIANT OVER SHRINE VISIT”, 2006-08-09) reported that Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi signaled he will likely go to a controversial shrine on a sensitive war anniversary despite appeals from neighboring countries and rising public opposition. Koizumi said he wanted to honor a campaign pledge he made before taking office in 2001 to visit the Yasukuni war shrine on August 15, the date of Japan’s surrender in World War II.

(return to top) Kyodo (“50% OPPOSE NEXT PRIME MINISTER’S VISIT TO YASUKUNI: POLL”, 2006-08-09) reported that a recent Yomiuri Shimbun poll has found that half of those surveyed oppose Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s successor visiting the war-related Yasukuni Shrine, the national daily said. That marks an increase from 42 percent in the previous survey conducted in June. (return to top)

7. Japan-Mongolia Relations

Kyodo (“KOIZUMI TO LEAVE FOR 2-DAY TRIP TO MONGOLIA ON THURSDAY”, 2006-08-09) reported that Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will depart Tokyo for Mongolia on Thursday morning on a two-day visit, during which Japan will sign an official offer of 350 million yen ($3 million) in grants for young Mongolian officials to study in Japan. Koizumi is expected to hold talks with Mongolian Prime Minister Miyeegombyn Enkhbold on joint efforts to develop energy resources in Mongolia.

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8. Japan, Indonesia on PRC Military

Kyodo (“INDONESIA, JAPAN DEFENSE OFFICIALS DISCUSS CHINA’S MILITARY BUDGET”, 2006-08-09) reported that Japan’s Defense Agency Director General Fukushiro Nukaga and Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono exchanged views Tuesday on the PRC’s growing defense budget, which in 2006 increased by 14.7 percent from a year earlier. “For Indonesia, it is normal if China wants to increase its defense budget along with its economic development,” Sudarsono said. Nukaga expressed concern over the increase in Beijing’s military spending, citing a lack of transparency.

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9. PRC Energy Consumption

Agence France-Presse (“BEIJING’S POWER USE HITS NEW DAILY RECORD”, 2006-08-09) reported the PRC’s capital notched up a daily record for electricity use this week despite government efforts to promote energy efficiency. The amount of power consumed in Beijing Tuesday reached 10.81 million kilowatts, exceeding the previous record last year of 10.65 million kilowatts, according to the Beijing Electric Power Corporation, Xinhua news agency said.

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10. PRC Environment

The Los Angeles Times (“BEIJING FOCUSES ON CLEANING UP THE AIR FOR ITS OLYMPIC MOMENT”, 2006-08-09) reported that with the start of the 2008 Olympics exactly two years away, the PRC government is increasingly focusing on the one thing most likely to spoil its best-laid plans for smooth Games: the sky. On Tuesday, organizers updating the public about preparations for the Olympics said they were confident the city would meet an ambitious goal of having acceptable air quality for 65% of the year, meaning measurements would reach an international standard of “moderate” or better.

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II. CanKor

11. Report #256

CanKor (“PORTRAIT OF A PATRIOT”, 2006-08-04) In celebration of the sixth anniversary of the publication of the CanKor Report, the weekly Canada-Korea electronic news and information service, Editor-in-chief Erich Weingartner has written a fictional profile entitled PORTRAIT OF A PATRIOT. “If any DPR Korean happens to read this story,” says Weingartner, “I want to underline that the person I am describing does not actually exist. He is a fiction, a figment of my imagination, a composite crafted from a quarter century experience interacting with Koreans.” Even the name of the character is fake, explains Weingartner, as will be immediately obvious to all Koreans. Breaking all naming rules, Pak Kim Li is a combination of the three most popular family names in Korea. Erich Weingartner is uniquely qualified to tell this story. He has visited Korea on many occasions since 1978. His first visit to the DPRK was on behalf of the World Council of Churches in 1985. In 1986 he arranged the first encounter since the Korean War between church delegations of both sides of Korea in Switzerland. Until 1995 he organized three more such inter-Korean non-governmental conferences. From 1997 to 1999 he headed the Food Aid Liaison Unit of the UN World Food Programme in Pyongyang, traveling by land cruiser throughout all provinces of the DPRK, visiting ports, rail yards, warehouses, nurseries, kindergartens, boarding schools, orphanages, hospitals, factories, farms and many families in their homes, both in rural and urban settings.

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