In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

I. United States

1. ROK Food Aid to DPRK

Reuters (“S. KOREA PLANS MORE FOOD AID FOR NORTH,” Seoul, 8/22/97) reported that a senior ROK National Unification Ministry official, who asked not to be identified, said Friday that the ROK plans to send millions of dollars worth of new food aid to the DPRK. “The government has decided to provide additional food aid to North Korea after considering various factors, including the food situation in the North, South-North relations and the international community’s aid activities,” the ministry official said. “We are now talking to international aid organizations for new aid to North Korea in addition to US$16 million we have promised so far this year,” the official said. Asked about a local media report that the new amount would be US$10 million, the official replied: “No exact amount has yet been decided but the aid will be worth at least several million dollars.” The ROK has provided US$257 million worth of food to the DPRK since 1995, when devastating floods aggravated food shortages. However, the ROK has ruled out large-scale assistance until the DPRK agrees to discuss measures to reduce long-standing tensions on the Korean peninsula. In reference to the groundbreaking for the KEDO nuclear reactor project earlier in the week, the official said, “I would not say the fresh food aid is directly related to the nuclear project or four-nation talks but we hope this will help contribute to building up better relations with the North.” Lee Hoi-chang, chairman of the ruling New Korea Party, told reporters on Friday, “The ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of light-water nuclear reactors … demonstrates the possibilities for inter-Korean cooperation.” “For a truly successful strategy of diplomatic engagement with the North, we must continue to work with the United States and other countries surrounding Korea to forge a common understanding of our policy and principle,” said Lee, who will run in presidential elections in December.

2. DPRK-Japan Relations

Reuters (“BREAKTHROUGH SEEN IN JAPAN-N.KOREA TALKS-REPORT,” Tokyo, 8/22/97) reported that the Kyodo news agency reported that Japanese and DPRK negotiators reached agreement in two key areas in talks Friday in Beijing aimed at reviving the long-stalled process of normalizing diplomatic relations. The two sides agreed to upgrade normalization talks to ambassadorial level, and the DPRK agreed that between 10-20 Japanese women living in the DPRK would be allowed to make home visits next month, Kyodo quoted unnamed officials as saying. Foreign Ministry officials in Tokyo refused to comment on the report or say whether such an announcement would be made.

II. Republic of Korea

1. ROK Food Aid to DPRK

The ROK government was set to announce plans for US$10 million additional food aid to the DPRK on August 22. A ROK government official said Thursday, “We have de

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

III. Japan

I. United States

1. DPRK Food Aid Monitoring

Reuters (“N. KOREA SAYS IT ALLOWS MONITORING OF FOOD AID,” Tokyo, 8/21/97) reported that the DPRK state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on Thursday denied accusations that it refuses to allow monitoring of food aid from the international community. The DPRK statement said, “We are grateful for their assistance and have shown sincerity in ensuring monitoring of the distribution. This is an undeniable fact the international community has admitted.” The statement added that the accusations originated in the ROK and were “despicable false propaganda aimed at halting food assistance.” Last week, members of the US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence returning from the DPRK said they believed some foreign food aid might have been diverted to the DPRK military, and that they would seek measures to ensure future US aid to the DPRK would go directly to hunger-stricken people. [Ed. note: See “US Congressional Representatives Visit to DPRK” in the August 13 Daily Report.]

2. DPRK Famine Conditions

Reuters (“N.KOREA SEEN FACING FURTHER FOOD SHORTAGE,” Seoul, 8/21/97) reported that the ROK Unification Ministry said on Thursday that it expects the DPRK to face more continuing famine conditions in 1998 because the drought this year will seriously affect its crops. A ministry statement estimated that the DPRK will fall 2.6 million tons short of the 5.5 million tons of grain it will require next year, an increase from the two million ton shortfall this year. The DPRK lost 480,000 tons of grains last year due to flood damage. The DPRK’s own state-run Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said the bottoms of reservoirs were visible and thousands of rivers and streams had dried up.

3. Japan-DPRK Relations

The Associated Press (“JAPAN, N. KOREA TRY AGAIN IN TALKS,” Beijing, 8/21/97) reported that representatives from Japan and the DPRK met Thursday in Beijing in a renewed effort to establish diplomatic relations, a move that could lead to Japanese food aid. Tokyo and Pyongyang, whose last talks on relations ended in failure five years ago, are divided by highly emotional issues, including Korean anger at former colonial domination by Japan, the status of Japanese women living in the DPRK, and allegations that DPRK agents have kidnapped Japanese citizens in Japan.

United Press International (“JAPAN, N. KOREA OPEN TALKS IN BEIJING,” Beijing, 8/21/97) reported that the Japanese Embassy in Beijing said Thursday that the DPRK-Japan talks on normalizing relations began at the Pyongyang embassy Thursday morning and continued after a lunch break at the Tokyo mission.

The AP-DOW JONES NEWS SERVICE (“JAPAN OFFICIAL: MORE TALKS WITH N. KOREA POSSIBLE FRIDAY,” Beijing, 8/21/97) reported that a Japanese official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said late Thursday that DPRK and Japanese officials agreed to hold a second day of talks aimed at e

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

III. People’s Republic of China

I. United States

1. US Media on DPRK Reactors Groundbreaking

The New York Times (Nicholas D. Kristof, “CONSTRUCTION CEREMONY IN NORTH KOREA BREAKS MORE THAN GROUND,” Tokyo, 8/20/97, A10), The Washington Post (Kevin Sullivan and Mary Jordan, “N. KOREA INITIATES HUGE ENERGY PROJECT; VENTURE VIEWED AS AID TO STABILITY,” Tokyo, 8/20/97, A18), and The Washington Times (Willis Witter, “RELATIONS STILL ICY AS KOREAS LAUNCH REACTOR PROJECT,” Tokyo, 8/20/97) all carried reports on the groundbreaking ceremonies Tuesday inaugurating construction of two 1000-megawatt nuclear power plants in the DPRK, sponsored by the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) as part of implementation of the 1994 US-DPRK Agreed Framework. [Ed. note: See “KEDO Begins Construction of DPRK Reactors” in the August 19 Daily Report.]

The New York Times report noted that the project, which many critics had doubted would ever begin, “will lead to thousands of South Korean laborers, presumably well salted with spies, working within North Korea and sending mail and equipment and messages between two nations that technically remain at war.” Evincing the hopes that the project will produce more than energy, the report quoted Paul Cleveland, US representative to KEDO, as saying at the ceremony, “The work we celebrate today is on the cutting edge of future progress in the search for peace on this peninsula.” A senior ROK official in Seoul, interviewed by telephone, was quoted as saying, “I think the presence of a South Korean work force in North Korea will help bring about changes and openness in North Korea. I understand 5,000 South Korean workers will go to North Korea to implement this, and I think that’s an important first step in building inter-Korea exchanges.” The report added that DPRK representatives at the ceremony seemed unsure how to react to their ROK counterparts; “some North Koreans applauded the chief South Korean delegate, while others looked around for guidance.” The report also noted that reporters allowed to attend the ceremony in Kumho, on the DPRK’s east coast, said they saw no obvious sign of malnutrition and famine, and the fields seemed lush.

The Washington Post report noted the “broader importance” of the nuclear plant project, observing that international officials hope it “will make the reclusive Stalinist nation more economically stable, less of a military threat and more engaged with the outside world.” The report added that the project “has been a top priority of the governments in Washington, Seoul and Tokyo since North Korea agreed to it in 1994.” The report quoted DPRK diplomat Ho Jong as saying in a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony, “The nuclear issue … is a product of the Cold War that stems from the historical distrust and abnormal relations between [North Korea] and the U.S.,” and pledging that the DPRK would continue to honor the deal in order to “forge … future-oriented relations with the U.S. through reconciliation and cooperation.” W

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

I. United States

1. KEDO Begins Construction of DPRK Reactors

The Office of the White House Press Secretary (“WHITE HOUSE ON KEDO AND NORTH KOREA GROUNDBREAKING,” USIA Transcript, 8/19/97) on August 19 issued the following written statement: “KEDO and DPRK Groundbreaking. Today in North Korea, the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) and the DPRK held a groundbreaking ceremony marking the start of construction of the first of two light-water nuclear reactors to be built in North Korea under the terms of the 1994 U.S.-DPRK Agreed Framework. Ambassador Paul Cleveland, the U.S. Representative to KEDO’s Executive Board and Chairman of the Board, attended the ceremony and delivered a message from President Clinton. Groundbreaking for the light-water reactor project marks an important milestone in our efforts, in cooperation with the Republic of Korea and Japan, to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula, contribute to peace and stability in Northeast Asia, and strengthen the international non-proliferation regime. It also occurs against a backdrop of significant progress in other areas of Agreed Framework implementation. North Korea continues to maintain the freeze on its nuclear facilities, under IAEA monitoring, and is nearing completion of a joint project with the United States to safely store its spent nuclear fuel, which would otherwise be available for the production of weapons-grade plutonium. Moreover, the Agreed Framework continues to provide a foundation for us to discuss issues of bilateral concern with the DPRK and, along with our South Korean and Japanese allies, to engage North Korea in meaningful dialogue and work toward a permanent peace on the Korean Peninsula.”

The Associated Press (“GROUND BROKEN ON KOREA NUKE PLANTS,” Kumho, DPRK, 8/19/97) and Reuters (“GROUND BROKEN IN N.KOREA FOR NUCLEAR PROJECT,” Kumho, DPRK, 8/19/97) reported that diplomats from nine nations and the European Union were among the 200 people at the ceremonial groundbreaking for construction of two 1,000-megawatt light-water nuclear reactors in the DPRK under the direction of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO). Ten KEDO officials, including KEDO director Stephen W. Bosworth, triggered a “symbolic blast” on a nearby hillside that sent puffs of pink, green, orange and yellow smoke into the air. Bosworth said Tuesday’s ceremony had political importance because it would help establish KEDO’s credibility. “This groundbreaking ceremony…marks the fulfillment of a promise — a promise made over two years ago by the Republic of Korea, Japan and the United States,” Bosworth said at the start of the ceremony. Chang Sun-sup, chief ROK representative for the project, stated, “As we are all aware, the light-water reactor project was initiated to help ensure the peace and security of a denuclearized and war-free Korean peninsula. It is the promising product of a concerted international effort to realize these ideals on the Korean peninsula.” However, t

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

I. United States

1. ROK Defector to DPRK

Reuters (“REPORT: DEFECTOR MAY HAVE SPIED FOR N. KOREA,” Seoul, 8/18/97) reported that ROK newspapers said Monday that Oh Ik-jae, the ROK religious leader whose defection to the DPRK was reported over the weekend, might have been a spy while serving on a presidential advisory group. Oh, 68, who headed the 130-year-old religious group Chondokyo in the ROK until 1995, served on the Advisory Council on Democratic and Peaceful Unification, a ROK presidential advisory body. “The authorities suspect Oh worked as a North Korean spy in the South for some time,” said the Chosun Ilbo daily, which has had numerous scoops on DPRK-related issues in recent months. A senior police official, who asked not to be identified, was quoted by Reuters as saying he suspected Oh had maintained contacts with DPRK officials since 1993, when he met DPRK Chondokyo representatives in Beijing. An official at the advisory body said Oh’s term on the advisory body ended in June. The ROK intelligence agency and police investigating the defection of declined to comment on the newspaper reports. Oh, a founding member of the ROK main opposition National Congress for New Politics, arrived in Pyongyang on Friday for “permanent residence,” according to the DPRK’s official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA). ROK state television broadcast DPRK TV footage showing Oh stepping out of a train at Pyongyang railway station. In an arrival statement, Oh hailed DPRK leader Kim Jong-il as a hero and rebuked the ROK government for pursuing policies hampering the reunification of the Korean peninsula. The police official said the DPRK might be seeking to make propaganda use of Oh to make up for the defection to the ROK earlier this year of Hwang Jang-yop, the highest-ranking DPRK official ever to flee that country. Hwang has said since that there are DPRK spies among high-ranking ROK officials.

The Associated Press (“S. KOREAN RELIGIOUS LEADER DEFECTS,” Seoul, 8/16/97) reported earlier that the ROK National Congress for New Politics, hoping to dispel any negative fallout from the defection of Oh Ik-jae to the DPRK, issued a statement saying that while Oh had served on the party’s advisory council for a brief period after the party was founded, he had not been an active member for months. “We will immediately launch an investigation into the matter and expel Oh from the party,” the statement said. The report also noted that Oh was head of the indigenous religion Chondokyo beginning in 1989. Chondokyo, established during the latter half of the 1800s, was a major force in fighting against Japan’s 1910-45 colonial rule of Korea, but has diminished in popularity since and now has only about 50,000 followers.

2. DPRK Nuclear Fuel Canning Near Finished

The Associated Press (“MOST OF N. KOREA NUKE FUEL ENCASED,” Seoul, 8/17/97) reported that ROK Ministry of National Unification officials said Sunday that US experts have encased ninet

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Landmine Ban Colloquium Statement

I. United States

1. US Official on DPRK Famine, Food Aid

Reuters (“U.S. ENVOY: N. KOREA FOOD CRISIS WORSENS,” Tokyo, 8/15/97) reported that US ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson said Friday that the DPRK’s food crisis is getting worse and that the US has no evidence supporting reports that the DPRK government is diverting international aid to its military. Richardson, who made several visits to the DPRK prior to becoming UN ambassador earlier this year, also said the US was likely to respond to any further appeals for food aid to the DPRK by the UN World Food Program (WFP). The US already has provided US$52 million this year through the WFP to help stave off famine conditions. Commenting on assertions by members a US congressional delegation that during their DPRK visit they saw evidence of diversions of food aid to the military, Richardson said, “We right now, on the reports that food is being diverted to the military, are looking into the reports. We can’t verify them.” He said US food aid was targeted mainly at children under the age of six and “we believe it is getting to them.”

2. DPRK-Japan Relations

The Associated Press (“N. KOREA, JAPAN MAY ESTABLISH TIES,” Tokyo, 8/15/97) reported that the DPRK and Japan announced Friday that they will hold talks next Thursday in Beijing aimed at eventually establishing diplomatic relations. In Tokyo, Foreign Minister Yukihiko Ikeda announced the agreement to hold the bilateral talks, which was confirmed by a statement on DPRK radio. The two countries never have had formal relations, and previously have scheduled eight rounds of normalization talks without success. The last round of talks was suspended in November 1992, when DPRK negotiators walked out in objection to Japanese demands for information on Megumi Yokota, thought to have been kidnapped by DPRK spies. Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto welcomed the chance to improve ties, stating, “There have been so many times that similar talks have been put off for one reason or another that I really look forward to their actually being carried out.” A warmer relationship could help the DPRK get more Japanese food aid to help ward off its looming famine. Japan provided US$5.2 million in food aid last year, but has refused to pledge any more.

3. ROK President Supports DPRK Peace Efforts

AP-Dow Jones News Service (“S.KOREA LAUDS PEACE EFFORTS, URGES BETTER TIES WITH NORTH,” Seoul, 8/15/97) reported that ROK President Kim Young-sam on Friday lauded recent peace efforts between the rival Koreas and renewed his offer of assistance if the DPRK were to improve ties. Kim said in a nationally broadcast speech commemorating the 52nd anniversary of Korean independence from Japanese colonial rule that last week’s four-party peace talks preliminary meeting provided “concrete steps for pea

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

I. United States

1. US Food Aid to DPRK

US State Department Spokesman James Rubin (“STATE DEPARTMENT BRIEFING, AUGUST 14,” USIA Transcript, 8/14/97) on Thursday responded to assertions by members of the US congressional delegation recently returned from the DPRK that food aid intended for the country’s starving population has been diverted to its military and political elite. [Ed. note: See “US Congressional Representatives Visit to DPRK” in the August 13 Daily Report.] Rubin stated: “We have no indication that there has been any significant diversion of the assistance we have provided. As far as we are able to judge, nearly all our assistance thus far has been directed at helping young children — particularly children under six. We believe the World Food Program, with experienced in-country staff, has been carefully monitoring the distribution of assistance. We believe that that assistance has gone to the right places. We of course are watching this very carefully and monitoring it very carefully.” Rubin added that he could not “get into, in this forum, exactly how we know what we know — especially in a place like North Korea. But I can say that our experts are confident that there is no significant diversion of the assistance we have provided.” Asked if the US delegation’s assertions would affect future US food aid to the DPRK, Rubin replied, “We’ll obviously talk to them and try to ascertain that they know something we don’t know, and act on it if that information proves to affect this judgment. But for now, our judgment is that … the assistance we provide to the World Food Program goes to the needy children and there is no significant diversion.” [Ed. note: See the related item in the ROK section, below.]

2. ROK Food Aid to DPRK

The Associated Press (“S. KOREA SENDS FOOD TO NORTH KOREA,” Seoul, 8/14/97) and reported that on Thursday the first shipment of the ROK’s pledge of 50,000 tons of food to the DPRK left by ship from Inchon. The shipment included 2,000 tons of flour, four tons of powdered milk and 70,200 gallons of cooking oil. More shipments will follow by ship as well as by rail via the PRC. The delivery of the 50,000 tons of food, mostly corn, is to be complete by the end of September. The food can feed 740,000 North Koreans, or about 3 percent of the population, before this year’s harvest in October, International Red Cross officials said. [Ed. note: See the related item in the ROK section, below.]

Reuters (“SEOUL CONCERNED ABOUT FOOD DISTRIBUTION IN N.KOREA,” Seoul, 8/14/97) reported that, following assertions by members of the US congressional delegation recently returned from the DPRK that food aid has been diverted to its military and political elite, Kang Ho-yang, spokesman of the National Unification Ministry, said in a statement issued Thursday, “The government cannot help but be worried about

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Republic of Korea

I. United States

1. US Congressional Representatives Visit to DPRK

The Associated Press (“US ENVOY: N. KOREA ARMY STOLE FOOD,” Seoul, 8/13/97) and Reuters (“U.S. OFFICIALS: FOOD AID GOING TO MILITARY?,” Seoul, 8/13/97) reported that members of the US Congressional delegation that visited the DPRK August 9-11 said Wednesday that the DPRK’s military and government elite may have siphoned off some of the foreign food aid intended for its starving citizens. Representative Jane Harmon (D- Calif.) was quoted as saying at the delegation’s news conference in Seoul, “I believe we would all agree that some food aid has probably ended up in the hands of the military and the other elites in the country and we are concerned about that.” No other delegation member contested Harmon’s remarks. The representatives said they saw serious food problems and agreed on the need for more aid, and Harmon added that international aid workers had “confirmed that some food is reaching the people.” However, representative Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said, “Despite repeated requests by members of this delegation to visit a distribution center we were not able to do that.” Many suspect that the DPRK’s 1.1 million-member army — the world’s fifth largest — is the first to get food because of its role as the backbone of the country’s communist regime. The representatives said they would seek measures to ensure that any future US aid to the DPRK would go directly to hunger-stricken people, and Pelosi said she thought any increase in US aid would depend on how well the DPRK allows the distribution system to be monitored. The DPRK has demanded an increase in aid as a condition for its participation in the US-ROK proposed four-party Korean peace talks. The US has rejected this demand.

US Presidential Press Secretary Mike McCurry (“WHITE HOUSE DAILY BRIEFING, AUGUST 13, 1997,” USIA Transcript, 8/13/97) on Tuesday replied to a question concerning the DPRK visit by a US Congressional delegation and US concerns over the current situation in the DPRK. McCurry stated, “We will be interested in a report of the congressional delegation and learning more about what they’ve seen. They’ve had some access that will be useful I think as we understand more of what’s happening in a society that is very difficult at times to penetrate.” McCurry also credited the efforts of UN World Food Program relief workers in distribution of food aid. “They do very hard work, sometimes under difficult circumstances, to assure that that assistance goes to those citizens who are suffering. And it would be contrary to the wishes of the international community and the program itself to see any diversion of that to satisfy only one segment of the population — the military, for example,” McCurry said.

2. DPRK Aims in Peace Talks

The Associated Press (“N.KOREA WANTS IMPROVED TIES WITH US,

In today’s Report:

I. United States

II. Russian Federation

III. Analysis Response

I. United States

1. US Congressional Representatives Visit DPRK

A statement issued by the bipartisan delegation from the US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence that visited the DPRK August 9-11 (“STATEMENT OF HOUSE INTELLIGENCE CODEL ON N. KOREA VISIT,” USIA Transcript, 8/12/97) concluded that there exists opportunity for further constructive dialogue between the US and the DPRK. The statement said the delegation, in its meetings with DPRK officials, stressed a number of points on issues such as reducing tensions, controlling arms proliferation, the US commitment to the ROK, and DPRK commitment to current agreements. The statement said, “The delegation believes talks were constructive in demonstrating bipartisan support for United States policy to encourage North Korea to engage in honest and good faith negotiations to lessen tensions in the region.” The statement continued, “The North Koreans were focused on seeing United States sanctions lifted and the need for additional food assistance. In addition, the North Koreans stated their refusal to abandon their centralized political and economic systems. The delegation emphasized that Americans are a compassionate people, generous in their willingness to alleviate suffering, but who seek assurance that food relief is used to feed those North Korean people most in need. The delegation stressed that sanctions must be negotiated as part of a larger political package involving proliferation and other security matters.”

Reuters (“US DELEGATION SAYS PYONGYANG REFUSES TO CHANGE,” Seoul, 8/12/97) reported that US officials said Tuesday that the DPRK told the US Congressional delegation that visited August 9-11 that the US must lift economic sanctions against it and not try to change the DPRK’s centralized economic system. “The North Koreans stressed the need for the lifting of U.S. sanctions and for additional food aid,” a US embassy official said. “The North Koreans also made clear they will refuse to abandon their centralized political and economic systems,” he added. Shortly before flying to Seoul, delegation head Porter Goss, chairman of the US House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told a news conference in Tokyo that the DPRK also was unwilling to deal with the ROK until President Kim Young-sam ended his five-year term next February. “They absolutely want nothing to do with the present leadership,” Goss said. The ROK president has been a daily target of abuse from the DPRK official media since he refused to mourn the death of DPRK “Great Leader” Kim Il-sung in 1994. Seoul foreign ministry officials said the visit by the congressmen was the largest yet by U.S. officials. Wednesday, the delegation is due to meet ROK Foreign Minister Yoo Chong-ha and General John Tilelli, commander of the 37,000 US troops stationed in the ROK.

The AP-Dow Jones News Service (“U.S. GROUP SAYS N