NAPSNET Week in Review 30 May, 2000

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"NAPSNET Week in Review 30 May, 2000", NAPSNet Weekly Report, May 30, 2000, https://nautilus.org/napsnet/napsnet-weekly/napsnet-week-in-review-30-may-2000/

Korean Peninsula


1. ROK-DPRK Summit

The ROK will send a 30-member advance team to Pyongyang on May 31 to prepare for the June summit meeting. Reports said that the topic of separated families is likely to be prominent during the talks.
“Inter-Korean Talks” (Daily Report, May 26, ROK)
“Effects of Inter-Korean Summit” (Daily Report, May 26, ROK)
“Inter-Korean Summit” (Daily Report, May 24, ROK)
“ROK-DPRK Summit” (Daily Report, May 23, US)
“Inter-Korean Summit” (Daily Report, May 23, ROK
“ROK Public Opinion on Summit” (Daily Report, May 23, ROK)
“Inter-Korean Summit” (Daily Report, May 22, ROK)
“DPRK Summit Preparations” (Daily Report, May 24, ROK)

Robert Manning cautioned that for the ROK-DPRK summit to truly work, ROK President Kim Dae-jung must follow the principle of reciprocity. Tony Namkung said that the first order of business for the summit is to establish peace, after which the issues of security and economic reconstruction can be addressed.
“The Korean Summit–A Test of Both Kims” (Special Report)
“Prospects for Peace and Reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula” (Special Report)


2. US-DPRK Talks

The US and the DPRK resumed talks on Wednesday in Rome on a wide range of issues, especially the DPRK’s missile program.
“DPRK-US Talks” (Daily Report, May 26, ROK)
“US-DPRK Talks” (Daily Report, May 24, US)
“US-DPRK Talks” (Daily Report, May 23, US)


3. Light-Water Reactor Project

The DPRK accused the US of causing the DPRK huge economic losses by delaying the construction of two light-water reactors.
“Light-Water Reactor Project” (Daily Report, May 26, US)


4. DPRK Famine

The World Food Program announced that it would ask donors next month for US$250 million to help the DPRK obtain food self-sufficiency by 2002. Japan began shipments of 100,000 tons of rice.
“DPRK Famine” (Daily Report, May 26, US)
“Japan’s Rice Shipment to DPRK” (Daily Report, May 26, Japan)


5. 1994 Nuclear Crisis

Former ROK President Kim Young-sam revealed that, in 1994, he told US President Bill Clinton that he would not support US bombardment against the DPRK’s nuclear facility at Yongbyon.
“ROK Role in 1994 Nuclear Crisis” (Daily Report, May 24, US)
“Korean War” (Daily Report, May 22, ROK)


6. Korean War Massacre

US Korean War veteran Edward Daily recanted his earlier testimony regarding an alleged massacre of ROK civilians by US troops in the Korean War, but the Associated Press said that it still stood by its reporting on the massacre.
“Korean War Massacre” (Daily Report, May 26, US)
“Korean War Massacre” (Daily Report, May 23, ROK)


7. Russian Policy toward Korean Peninsula

A Russian official said that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit the ROK this summer, and would not rule out the possibility that Putin would also visit the DPRK. Russian Ambassador to the ROK Evgeny Afanasiev said that the DPRK’s missile program does not pose a realistic threat to the US.
“Russian President’s Trip to Korean Peninsula” (Daily Report, May 25, ROK)
“Russian View of US Missile Defense” (Daily Report, May 25, ROK)


Japan


8. Japanese White Paper

The draft of Japan’s 2000 Defense White Paper said that the DPRK regime appears stable.
“Japanese View on DPRK Regime” (Daily Report, May 26, Japan)


9. Japanese Nuclear Policy

The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that Japan played a mediating role at the Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review conference between the New Agenda Coalition and the nuclear weapons states. However, Corwin Vandermark argues that Japanese policymakers have sought to maintain the capability for the future development of nuclear weapons in a relatively short period of time.
“Japan’s Role at NPT Review Conference” (Daily Report, May 26, Japan)
“Japanese Nuclear Potential” (NPP Weekly Flash, V. 2, N. 19)


10. Alleged PRC Spying on Japan

The Japanese Defense Agency said that it was monitoring the passage of a PRC ship with intelligence-gathering capabilities through international waters in the Tsugaru Strait.
“PRC Intelligence-Gathering Ship” (Daily Report, May 26, Japan)
“Alleged PRC Spying in Japan” (Daily Report, May 25, US)


People’s Republic of China


11. US Trade Bill on PRC

The US House of Representatives voted to grant permanent normal trade relations to the PRC.
“US Trade Bill on PRC” (Daily Report, May 25, US)
“US Trade Bill on PRC” (Daily Report, May 23, US)
“US Bill on PRC” (NPP Weekly Flash, V. 2, N. 19)
“Response to Lyuba Zarsky” (Policy Forum Online)


12. PRC Military Development

Opponents of the US trade bill on the PRC argued that US trade and investment was helping the PRC to build up its military, but other analysts argued that the PRC was unlikely to start a war with the US or its allies. A new US Defense Department planning document focuses on the rise of PRC military power as the main issue for US policy making in Asia.
“PRC Military Development” (Daily Report, May 26, US)
“US Security Policy toward Asia” (Daily Report, May 26, US)


Taiwan Straits


13. Presidential Inauguration

In his inauguration address, Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian said that unless the PRC attacked Taiwan, he would not move Taiwan toward independence. The PRC’s reaction gave a mixed reaction to Chen’s speech, criticizing him for not embracing the “one-China” principle, but stopping short of outright condemnation.”Taiwan Presidential Inauguration” (Daily Report, May 22, US)
“Cross-Straits Relations” (Daily Report, May 26, US)
“Cross-Straits Relations” (Daily Report, May 25, US)
“The Taiwan Issue” (Daily Report, May 24, PRC)
“Cross-Straits Relations” (Daily Report, May 23, US)


14. Taiwan-US Relations

The Washington Times reported that the US Federal Bureau of Investigation had classified Taiwan among the list of hostile intelligence threats to the US.
“US-Taiwan Relations” (Daily Report, May 24, US)
“US Policy toward Taiwan” (Daily Report, May 25, US)

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