[Cankor] Report #217

[cankor at cankor.ca]

Dear subscriber,

Welcome to issue #217 of the CanKor Report.

For articles not original to CanKor, direct links are available in the
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The CanKor team

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CANADA-KOREA ELECTRONIC INFORMATION SERVICE

CanKor # 217

Friday, 19 August 2005
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The USA appoints Jay Lefkowitz, deputy assistant to President Bush for 
domestic policy, as special envoy on human rights in North Korea. Lefkowitz 
previously served on the US delegation to the UN Commission on Human Rights 
in Geneva, and the International Conference on Anti-Semitism.

After meeting with the DPRK leader, Russian presidential representative 
Konstantin Pulikovsky says that Kim Jong Il is pleased with progress at the 
six-party talks and ready to re-join the NPT following a suitable agreement.

The USA and ROK begin war games on Monday, conducted chiefly through 
computer simulations. The DPRK was informed of the plan on 11 August.

The ROK company Hyundai-Asan begins pilot tours by bus across the DMZ to the 
historical DPRK city of Kaesong, capital of the ancient Koryo Kingdom.

CNN founder Ted Turner visits the DPRK and the ROK promoting a proposal to 
turn the DMZ, a 4km-wide strip of land that crosses the Korean peninsula at 
the 38th parallel, into an ecological peace park and international tourist 
attraction.

A European-style café is doing brisk business in downtown Pyongyang, 
offering pastries and Western food. The Swiss retailer Migros and aid agency 
ADRA Switzerland provided start-up funds, with profits used for humanitarian 
work.

KCNA reports that US evangelist Billy Graham has sent a gift to Kim Jong Il.

Sixty years of separation have caused a bifurcation in the Korean language 
used by the two sides, with sometimes humorous consequences. Following their 
June 2000 summit, DPRK leader Kim Jong Il confided that he understood only 
80% of what ROK President Kim Dae Jung said to him.

This week's FOCUS is on the first half of 2005, with CanKor editor Erich 
Weingartner's biannual summary of events related to the DPRK.
*************************************************

Contents:
1.   BUSH APPOINTS SPECIAL ENVOY FOR DPRK HUMAN RIGHTS
     http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050819/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_north_korea;_ylt=Au.DrVnsEq2LENruBlLXpvcBxg8F;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl
2.   KIM JONG IL POSITIVE ABOUT SIX-PARTY TALKS: RUSSIAN ENVOY
     http://www.itar-tass.com/eng/level2.html?GroupID=151
3.   KOREA-US WAR GAMES TO START MONDAY
     http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200508/200508180030.html
4.   HYUNDAI ASAN TO START PILOT TOURS TO KAESONG NEXT WEEK
     http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050818/430100000020050818174436E0.html
5.   CNN FOUNDER PROPOSES PEACE PARK IN DMZ
     http://english.yna.co.kr/Engnews/20050816/430100000020050816164022E6.html
6.   SWISS CAFÉ OPENS IN PYONGYANG
     http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200508/200508180027.html
7.   GIFT TO KIM JONG IL FROM BILLY GRAHAM
     http://www.kcna.co.jp/index-e.htm
8.   THE KOREAN LANGUAGE ALSO NEEDS UNIFYING
     http://joongangdaily.joins.com/200508/17/200508172153348209900090109012.html

FOCUS: Mid-year Summary of Events
9.   REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO DPRK, JAN - FEB 2005
     Original article, copyright CanKor
10.  REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO DPRK, MAR - APR 2005
     Original article, copyright CanKor
11.  REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO DPRK, MAY - JUN 2005
     Original article, copyright CanKor
*************************************************

1.   BUSH APPOINTS SPECIAL ENVOY FOR DPRK HUMAN RIGHTS
     by Barry Schweid, AP Diplomatic Writer, 19 August 2005

Backed by a $2 million budget, a former adviser to President Bush will take 
charge of a high-profile effort to advance human rights in North Korea, even 
as negotiations on the country's nuclear weapons program enter a critical 
stage. The appointment Friday of Jay Lefkowitz, who helped shape domestic 
policy at the White House, frees Assistant Secretary of State Christopher 
Hill to concentrate on efforts to end the weapons program. (...)

Lefkowitz, whose post was authorized by Congress, is unlikely to travel to 
Pyongyang in the absence of normal diplomatic relations. But he will talk to 
officials in Asia and Europe, participate in human rights conferences and 
might meet with North Koreans if they attend international meetings. The 
Texas White House, announcing the appointment, said Lefkowitz "will increase 
awareness and promote efforts to improve the human rights of the 
long-suffering North Korean people."

The new post, special envoy on human rights in North Korea, will be set up 
at the State Department's bureau of democracy, human rights and labour. As 
part of his job, Lefkowitz also will be responsible for expanding 
US-financed Radio Free Asia broadcasts to the area.

Besides his past assignment as deputy assistant to President Bush for 
domestic policy, Lefkowitz has served on the US delegation to the UN Human 
Rights Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, and the US delegation to the 
International Conference on Anti-Semitism.

"His appointment will greatly enhance our efforts to encourage North Korea 
to accept and abide by internationally accepted human rights standards and 
norms," said the White House statement issued in Crawford, Texas, where Bush 
is on a month long vacation.
*************************************************

2.   KIM JONG IL POSITIVE ABOUT SIX-PARTY TALKS: RUSSIAN ENVOY
     by Boris Savelyev, ITAR-TASS, Khabarovsk, 18 August 2005

North Korea is positive about the six-party talks on the nuclear-free status 
of the Korean peninsula, presidential plenipotentiary representative 
Konstantin Pulikovsky said on Thursday. He held a news conference at which 
he summed up the results of his official visit to North Korea and talks with 
North Korean President Kim Jong Il.

The North Korean leader noted that "North Korea does not need any nuclear 
warhead, shell or missile, if the United States does not threaten the 
country." According to the presidential plenipotentiary representative, Kim 
Jong Il reiterated that only a hostile attitude to North Korea that the US 
considers "the axis of evil" makes North Korea take a tough position.

Meanwhile, Kim Jong Il noted that the documents drafted at the latest round 
of the six-party talks "are quite positive." According to the North Korean 
leader, the round of talks is temporarily suspended, so that the heads of 
six countries "could personally examine the documents and give their 
recommendations to the partakers of the negotiations."

Kim Jong Il said North Korea is positive to join again the Nuclear 
Non-proliferation Treaty, Pulikovsky pointed out.

However, the North Korean leader stressed the need to develop atomic energy 
in the country and urged all sides in the six-party negotiating process "not 
to put up obstacles in this," the presidential plenipotentiary 
representative indicated.
*************************************************

3.   KOREA-US WAR GAMES TO START MONDAY
     Chosun Ilbo, 18 August 2005

Joint Korean-US war games in preparation for a possible emergency on the 
Korean Peninsula will start on Monday and last until Sept. 2. The Ulchi 
Focus Lens exercises are conducted chiefly through computer simulations 
rather than deployment of actual troops and combat equipment. But about 
10,000 US troops -- 5,000 US troops based in Korea and 5,000 based elsewhere 
overseas -- will take part, as will all Korean military units brigade-level 
and up, including Army and Fleet commands, combat fighter wings and reserve 
divisions.

This year's exercise will be broken into a first part involving government 
and administrative bodies from Aug. 22 to 26, and a second featuring 
military drills only from Aug. 29 to Sept. 2. Combined Forces Command 
informed North Korea of the exercise schedule on Aug. 11. The Stalinist 
country appeared sensitive about the exercises during inter-Korean military 
talks, and it remains to be seen how it will respond.
*************************************************

4.   HYUNDAI ASAN TO START PILOT TOURS TO KAESONG NEXT WEEK
     Yonhap News, 18 August 2005

Hyundai Asan Co., spearheading inter-Korean economic projects, has agreed 
with North Korea to implement pilot tours to the North Korean city of 
Kaesong three times starting this week, the company said Thursday.

The pilot tours, which will each take 500 South Koreans to the ancient city 
on the border with South Korea, will take place on Aug. 26, Sept. 2 and 
Sept. 7 via an inter-Korean overland route that runs through the 
demilitarized zone separating the two Koreas.

It will likely cost a tourist 200,000 won (US$196.46) to participate in the 
one-day trip, a Hyundai Asan official said.

In an apparent move to earn the badly needed hard currency, cash-strapped 
North Korea agreed last month to open Kaesong and Mount Paektu on the border 
with China to South Korean tourists.

Kaesong was the capital of an ancient Korean kingdom, Koryo (918-1392). The 
two Koreas are now building a joint industrial park there mainly for 
labour-intensive South Korean plants.
*************************************************

5.   CNN FOUNDER PROPOSES PEACE PARK IN DMZ
     Yonhap News, Seoul, 16 August 2005

Founder of US-based Cable News Network (CNN) Ted Turner proposed that a 
peace park be established in the demilitarized zone (DMZ) dividing the two 
Koreas and stressed that a peace treaty should be concluded between the two 
Koreas. Speaking at an international forum on the DMZ held at the Korea 
International Exhibition Centre in Goyang, west of Seoul, Turner said a 
peace treaty should be concluded as a prerequisite to the formation of the 
peace park. (...)

Turner, who had visited Pyongyang before arriving in Seoul, said he had come 
to realize through his visit to the two Koreas this time that both Koreas 
want an end to the war and hoped that the leaders of the two sides will 
achieve it. Turner pointed out that the DMZ could become an international 
tourist attraction as a peace and ecological park and making the buffer zone 
a peace park would be important for both Koreas in terms of business. Making 
the DMZ peace park is a matter of global interest, he added. He said that 
the removal of land mines strewn throughout the DMZ could be completed in a 
couple of years but would cost 1bn US dollars. (...)
*************************************************

6.   SWISS CAFÉ OPENS IN PYONGYANG
     Chosun Ilbo, 18 August 2005

A European-style café has opened in downtown Pyongyang and is doing a 
roaring trade in pastries and Western food, the Maryland-based international 
relief group ADRA International said Wednesday.

The Pyolmuri Café, a Swiss-style establishment combining a bakery and 
restaurant, opened up near the Koryo Hotel in downtown Pyongyang on June 21, 
selling 22 kinds of breads and confections and 35 kinds of Western food, 
according to ADRA. Some of the US$80,000 in start-up funds came from the 
Swiss retail company Migros and ADRA Switzerland, and the North Korean 
government also reportedly chipped in.

Profits from the café are used as operating capital for ADRA International, 
which is carrying out relief work in North Korea. The opening up of a 
Western-style café in Pyongyang is another small sign, along with the 
appearance a few years ago of a hamburger joint and Internet cafes, of a new 
wind of openness blowing in North Korea.
*************************************************

7.   GIFT TO KIM JONG IL FROM BILLY GRAHAM
     Korean Central News Agency of DPRK (KCNA), 18 August 2005

Leader Kim Jong Il received a gift from US religious leader Rev. Billy 
Graham and his son, Rev. Franklin Graham. It was handed over to DPRK Foreign 
Minister Paek Nam Sun on Thursday by the special assistant to Franklin 
Graham on a visit to Korea.
*************************************************

8.   THE KOREAN LANGUAGE ALSO NEEDS UNIFYING
     by Lee Sang-il, Joongang Ilbo: Fountain, 17 August 2005

On March 17, 2000, when Song Ho-kyung, the vice chairman of North Korea's 
Asia-Pacific Peace Committee, met in Beijing with South Korea's 
then-Minister of Culture and Tourism, Park Ji-won, he said, "I have come to 
prepare 'a grave accident' in the history of our division."

The two were in Beijing for preliminary discussions about the upcoming 
inter-Korean summit. Mr. Song's comment completely perplexed Mr. Park, who 
thought at first that he was talking about a disastrous incident like the 
Korean War.

When Mr. Park's facial expression became rigid, Mr. Song rephrased his 
comment. "I meant we should work together to accomplish a historically 
significant task." Now Mr. Park understood what he meant. As Mr. Park later 
recalled the episode, he thought at first that things were souring.

On June 13 of that year, Kim Jong Il was chatting with then-South Korean 
President Kim Dae-jung at the Paekhwawon State Guesthouse. The North Korean 
leader said, "The schedule has been tense, so the noodles might not taste 
very good." President Kim was lost for a moment. He knew Mr. Kim was talking 
about the cold noodle soup they were having, but he had no idea that "tense" 
could mean "short of time" in North Korea. Kim Jong Il, for his part, later 
confided to a Russian diplomat that he could understand only 80 percent of 
what President Kim said to him.

When the Korean Peninsula was divided in 1945, the Korean language was 
divided too. The gap grew as Pyongyang exploited the language for socialist 
purposes. In the South, people adopted foreign words and phrases that 
diversified the language. The language barrier between the South and the 
North has gotten so high that we sometimes need an interpreter.

When an assemblyman offered some tea to Kim Hye-yeon, a North Korean actress 
and defector, she said, "I have no business with it." In North Korea, "I 
have no business" means "it won't be necessary." The assemblyman had no idea 
what the phrase meant, and thought she was being rude. Ms. Kim must have 
wished for an interpreter at the time.

During this week's Liberation Day festivities, Seoul and Pyongyang agreed to 
make efforts to unify the standards of Korean writing and speech. The two 
Koreas also have decided to rush the joint compilation of the Korean 
Language Grand Dictionary. As the North Koreans might put it, they have 
accomplished a "grave accident." Once the two Koreas recover the homogeneity 
of the language, communication will be much more straightforward and clear, 
and we will be a step closer to the recovery of national homogeneity.
*************************************************

FOCUS: Mid-year Summary of Events

*************************************************

9.   REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO DPRK, JAN - FEB 2005
     by Erich Weingartner, prepared for CIDA

To celebrate its 10th anniversary, a group of senior DPRK officials visit 
the army post where leader Kim Jong Il instituted his "military-first 
policy" on New Year's Day 1995. This year's New Year's Joint Editorial, 
entitled "The Military-first Revolution," outlines three goals for the year: 
to improve agricultural productivity, to strengthen social unity, and to 
strengthen Inter-Korean cooperation.

300,000 cubic meters of earth are blasted away at the construction site of a 
hydro power station in Ryanggang Province. International concern was aroused 
at this site in September 2004 when satellites detected a "mushroom cloud."

Fifteen tons of Mount Myohyang mineral water arrive in Seoul from the DPRK 
on 4 January, the first shipment of what is expected to be a popular drink 
in South Korea. Resettlement payments to DPRK refugee/defectors in the ROK 
are reduced, and newcomers are scrupulously investigated, ostensibly to weed 
out criminals, spies and ethnic Koreans from China. Human rights advocates 
say the policy is intended to curry favour with China and the DPRK, and to 
slow a rising influx of refugees, which numbered a record 1,850 in 2004.

On 5 January, the DPRK announces the donation of US$150,000 for emergency 
tsunami relief, expressing condolence and sympathy to the governments and 
peoples of the affected countries.

On 8 January, the DPRK Foreign Ministry calls on the USA to declare that is 
has no hostile intent against the DPRK and pursue peaceful coexistence if it 
wants to solve the nuclear dispute between the two countries through 
dialogue. American congressmen follow each other to Pyongyang in mid-January 
to discuss the nuclear issue and six-party talks. The six-member bipartisan 
delegation headed by Rep. Curt Weldon, vice chairman of the House Armed 
Service Committee, reports the DPRK's willingness to resume six-party talks 
if the USA drops its hostile attitude. At the end of February, the DPRK 
still awaits confirmation of "no hostile intent." The Bush administration 
prefers to state that it has "no intention of invading" the DPRK, a 
significantly less comforting wording for Kim Jong Il.

The DPRK announces a partial factory and corporate reform that will replace 
state-determined prices with market prices. ROK analysts report their 
discovery of DPRK legal code changes made in 2004. Thirteen new laws mandate 
warrants before security forces may arrest suspects, permit the inheritance 
of homes, protect software, and clamp down on illegal drugs. The ROK 
government decides on 10 January that products made by South Korean firms at 
the Kaesong industrial park will be labelled as "made in DPRK (Kaesong)."

On 18 January, the DPRK rejects Japan's demand for reinvestigating the 
abductions of Japanese nationals, stating that Japan's DNA test on the ashes 
of deceased abductee Megumi Yokota was fabricated. Her bones were sent to 
Japan last November, but Japan claims they were from another person.

An ROK human rights advocacy group claims to have acquired video images 
showing evidence of organized dissent in the DPRK. The United Nations World 
Food Programme (WFP) reports that the DPRK still faces severe food shortages 
as it seeks to diversify its economy. With finances from the Swiss 
government, the Center for Applied Studies in International Negotiations 
(CASIN) sponsors a six-week programme on multilateral diplomacy and market 
economy for Senior DPRK officials. The naming of a USA special envoy on DPRK 
human rights is an infringement of DPRK sovereignty, according to the DPRK 
Foreign Ministry.

At the Davos economic summit on 31 January, ROK Unification Minister Chung 
Dong-young outlines "three major peace strategies" to end the Korean Cold 
War: the impermissibility of war, peaceful coexistence, and joint 
prosperity.

Days after US President George Bush sent a letter hand-delivered to 
President Hu Jintao of China urging him to put pressure on the DPRK 
regarding the latter's nuclear weapons programme, the DPRK on 9 February 
issues the most explicit statement to date of nuclear weapons ownership. A 
spokesman for the Foreign Ministry says that the DPRK will indefinitely 
suspend its participation in six-party talks until "there is justification 
for us to attend the talks and there are ample conditions and an atmosphere 
to expect positive results from the talks."

Neighbouring nations respond calmly, urging the DPRK to return to the table, 
while some experts suggest the entire tit-for-tat may simply be atmospherics 
and positioning to gain psychological advantage ahead of a resumption of 
talks. But US experts worry that prolongation of the crisis will strengthen 
hard-line elements in the Bush administration.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Japanese Foreign Minister 
Nobutaka Machimura issue a joint statement on 19 February, urging the return 
of the DPRK to six-party talks as "the best way forward to multilateral 
security assurances, a better life for its people, and progress toward a new 
relationship with its neighbours, the region, and the world."

DPRK leader Kim Jong Il on 21 February tells Wang Jiarui, head of the 
International Department of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, 
"We will go to the negotiating table anytime if there are mature conditions 
for the six-party talks." The meaning of "mature conditions" is clarified as 
including sincerity and forward movement on the part of the USA. Russia's 
Itar-Tass news agency reports that China indicated willingness to increase 
oil deliveries to induce flexibility.

On 27 February the DPRK warns that Japan's recent claim to the Dokdo islets 
in the East Sea is a de facto move to re-invade the Korean peninsula.

At the end of February, the DPRK Navy Command claims that ROK patrol ships 
have intruded into their territorial waters in the West Sea seven times 
January.
*************************************************

10.  REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO DPRK, MAR - APR 2005
     by Erich Weingartner, prepared for CIDA

DPRK leader Kim Jong Il begins the month of March by outlining conditions 
for returning to six-party talks: security guarantees from the USA, a pledge 
to negotiate on an equal basis, a policy of coexistence, and a trustworthy 
attitude.

The US State Department human rights report released on 1 March says the 
DPRK is a dictatorship where people are subject to torture and extrajudicial 
killings -- assertions the DPRK Foreign Ministry denounces as "groundless."

Chinese chief six-party negotiator Wu Dawei meets US counterpart Christopher 
Hill in Seoul on 4 March as diplomatic efforts intensify to get the DPRK 
back to the table. Both parties agree that the Korean peninsula must be 
denuclearized.

Malnutrition rates among children in the DPRK remain worrisome, despite some 
progress, according to a 2004 survey released on 7 March by UNICEF and the 
WFP. Results show steady improvement since 2002, with stunting at 37%, 
underweight 23% and wasting 7%. Progress is attributed to significant levels 
of aid provided by the international community. According to WHO criteria 
however, these levels are still considered high. The large-scale, random 
sample survey covered both child and maternal nutrition. Malnutrition among 
mothers has remained almost the same, at 32%, with an anaemia rate of about 
35%.

The Seoul-based watch-making firm Romanson begins construction of a $15.4 
million plant in the Kaesong industrial park on 7 March. The Korea Electric 
Power Corporation begins supplying 15,000 kilowatts electricity to the 
Kaesong the industrial park on 14 March, connecting South and North electric 
grids for the first time in 57 years. The supply of power enhances prospects 
for success of the Kaesong project, and spurs inter-Korean economic 
exchanges. The first shipment of clothes manufactured at the Kaesong 
industrial park by ROK apparel maker Shinwon Co. arrives in Seoul on 16 
March.

A DPRK economic and trade delegation participates in the first meeting of 
the DPRK-China Committee for Economic, Trade, Scientific and Technological 
Cooperation in China.

The port call of a US nuclear-powered submarine in Jinhae, South Korea, on 
26 March elicits claims by the DPRK that the US violates the 1992 
North-South joint declaration on a nuclear-free Korean peninsula.

On 27 March, the DPRK admits to a bird flu outbreak, leading to the culling 
of over 200,000 chickens. The ROK takes measures to prevent the spread of 
the flu across the DMZ. FAO experts discover a virus strain not previously 
detected in Asia. No human cases have been reported. By 8 April, the State 
Emergency Veterinary and Anti-Epizootic Committee creates some 200 task 
forces that apply emergency vaccinations at all poultry farms in the 
country.

Catholics in the DPRK send condolences to the Vatican and hold a memorial 
service at the Pyongyang cathedral on 5 April in honour of Pope John Paul 
II.

The DPRK Supreme People's Assembly on 11 April unanimously approves a state 
budget, with a 29.1% increase for agriculture to resolve chronic food 
shortages. 15.9% is budgeted for military spending, up from 15.6% in 2004.

Senior DPRK officials tell US scholar Selig Harrison on 11 April that their 
offer to negotiate a "step-by-step agreement" with the USA has been 
abandoned. The DPRK plans to unload another 8,000 plutonium fuel rods from 
the Yongbyon nuclear reactor, enough fuel to double the existing nuclear 
arsenal.

A South Korean who defected to the North in a fishing boat claimed 
drunkenness when he was returned by the DPRK on 13 April. ROK and DPRK zoos 
arrange an exchange of animals, including black bears, lynx, coyotes, 
African ponies, Siberian weasels, hippos, red kangaroos, wallabies, guanacos 
and llamas.

ROK President Roh Moo-hyun tells Germans that South Korea will actively 
support the North Korean economy once the nuclear problem has been solved. 
In the meantime, humanitarian aid will continue. Roh opposes increased 
pressure on the DPRK, arguing that this will only aggravate the situation.

The UN Commission on Human Rights on 14 April passes a resolution critical 
of the DPRK. The ROK abstains from voting for the third year in a row, a 
move sharply criticized by human rights activists and opposition 
politicians. Originated by the EU, but co-sponsored by the UK and Japan, 
this year's resolution for the first time demands the return of Japanese 
abductees. A statement by the DPRK Foreign Ministry rejects the resolution 
as politically motivated slander, accusing Britain and Japan of joining US 
moves to "isolate and stifle" the DPRK.

The DPRK says "OPLAN 5029-05," a war scenario drawn up by the Pentagon, is 
more provocative and dangerous than previous ones, backed by a decision to 
provide M1-A1 Abrams prototype tanks to the second division of US forces in 
the ROK, with newly developed buckshot-type shells. The reorganization and 
redeployment of US troops around the Korean Peninsula is seen by the DPRK as 
a forward deployment of invasion forces in line with the new scenario. The 
ROK on 15 April requests the USA to stop formulating military contingency 
plans that foresee the US military taking wartime command of ROK forces in 
case of an emergency in the DPRK. Such plans are viewed as an infringement 
of ROK sovereignty and its ability to ensure peace on the Korean Peninsula.

Satellite photographs seem to indicate a shutdown at the Yongbyon nuclear 
reactor on 18 April, raising concern about further reprocessing for military 
use. The chief of the General Staff of the Korean People's Army on 24 April 
says the DPRK is committed to bolstering its nuclear deterrent for 
self-defence.

On 25 April, the DPRK's Foreign Ministry denounces US Secretary of State 
Condoleezza Rice's warning about possibly referring the DPRK to the UN 
Security Council unless it returns to six-party talks.
*************************************************

11.  REPORT ON DEVELOPMENTS RELATED TO DPRK, MAY - JUN 2005
     by Erich Weingartner, prepared for CIDA

During a Russian parliamentary delegation in Pyongyang from 5-8 May, a 
proposal is discussed for three-party talks among Moscow, Seoul and 
Pyongyang to resolve the DPRK nuclear weapons problem.

In a last-ditch effort to rescue the stalled six-party talks, the nations 
involved adopt a more conciliatory stance. The USA states repeatedly that it 
recognizes the DPRK as a sovereign nation. US plans to refer the dispute to 
the UN Security Council seem to have been put on the back burner after a 
series of summits with ROK, China and Russia.

The DPRK claims to have successfully unloaded another 8,000 spent fuel rods 
from its Yongbyon nuclear plant on 10 May, stating that it was one of 
several "necessary measures" to bolster its nuclear arsenal for defensive 
purposes and to develop a self-reliant nuclear power industry.

Examining satellite images for the past month, US officials detect 
suspicious activity in the mountains on the DPRK's northeast coast. The ROK 
says it is not convinced that observed activities are preparation to test a 
nuclear device, considering them instead as efforts to put pressure on the 
Bush administration. A senior Chinese diplomat on 12 May accuses the USA of 
undermining efforts to revive negotiations with the DPRK government, stating 
there is "no solid evidence" that the DPRK was preparing to test a nuclear 
weapon. The comments reflect growing frustration in Beijing with the Bush 
administration. Analysts say the US administration is misreading the Chinese 
mood, failing to understand that Beijing would rather accept a nuclear 
Korean peninsula than bow to US pressure tactics against its ally.

US special envoy Joseph DiTrani secretly visits the DPRK Mission at United 
Nations headquarters in Manhattan on 13 May, offering assurances that his 
government recognizes North Korea under Kim Jong Il as a sovereign state and 
has no intention of invading it. He adds that normalization of relations 
between the two countries was predicated on the resolution of American 
concerns such as missile exports, human rights and counterfeiting.

Meeting in Moscow on 15 May, ROK and Chinese leaders urge the DPRK to return 
to the table. Meanwhile, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief 
Mohammed ElBaradei calls on the US administration to adjust its hard line 
stance. The IAEA estimates that Pyongyang has enough fissile material for up 
to six bombs.

The European Business Association (EBA) is founded in Pyongyang by resident 
foreign businesspeople representing European enterprises.

The WFP on 18 May warns that the already severe food shortages in the DPRK 
are escalating to crisis levels, as WFP stocks run dry for lack of large 
donations since last October. The state's Public Distribution System rations 
are at 250 grams of cereals per person per day -- half the daily survival 
requirement -- and may be further reduced to 200 grams in July. Shipments of 
ROK fertilizer begin their trek across the DMZ on 21 May. The ROK has 
promised 200,000 metric tons for the spring season. According to Amnesty 
International's annual report, released 24 May, the DPRK government 
continues to deny its people the right to food.

On 25 May, the USA suspends efforts to recover the remains of US soldiers 
missing in action in the Korean War, citing restrictions placed on US search 
teams since the missions began in 1996. Defence analysts in Seoul for an 
annual conference on cyber security claim that the DPRK has cyber-terror 
capabilities that could seriously disrupt the US military.

Aid should not depend on nuclear talks, according to an international NGO 
conference on humanitarian assistance held in Beijing from 28 to 31 May. The 
aid agencies called for increased food assistance to the DPRK, which faces 
shortages affecting millions.

A DPRK Foreign Ministry spokesman offers US President George W. Bush rare 
praise on 3 June, expressing pleasure at the fact that the US leader 
referred to the DPRK leader as "Mr. Kim Jong Il". This comes a day after the 
North labelled Vice President Dick Cheney a "bloodthirsty beast" for calling 
Kim Jong Il "irresponsible."

Surprising all observers, the DPRK invites several US media representatives 
to visit Pyongyang, including ABC television network and the New York Times, 
apparently to curb negative media coverage. Western journalists discover 
some improvements: vendors who hawk their wares, stylish clothes imported 
from China, and a new fleet of Chinese double-decker buses in a palette of 
pink, green, tangerine, and deep blue.

During a media briefing held on Mount Kumgang on 9 June to mark the one 
millionth South Korean visitor to the North Korean resort area, Hyundai Asan 
announces that ROK tourists would soon be able to travel by car across the 
DMZ to the scenic mountain in the DPRK. They will also be able to camp out 
and cook on the beach.

At a summit meeting on 10 June in Washington, US President George W. Bush 
and ROK President Roh Moo-hyun try hard to patch up the growing rift in the 
alliance over the handling of the DPRK's nuclear programme. Roh receives 
assurances that the USA would not attack DPRK nuclear facilities, and Bush 
praises ROK military aid in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both insist that the 
alliance remains very strong.

Forty ROK government officials and 295 South Korean civic leaders travel to 
Pyongyang for a National Unification Festival that commemorates the fifth 
anniversary of the 15 June Inter-Korean summit and joint declaration. The 
two Koreas produce a five-point joint statement urging cooperation in 
cultivating peace and eliminating the risks of a nuclear war. Unification 
Minister Chung Dong-young receives a surprise audience with DPRK leader Kim 
Jong Il, who tells him that six-party talks could be held as early as July.

The first class at a Canadian NGO-sponsored Canada-Korea Computer Graphics 
Design Institute (CKCGDI) in Pyongyang graduates 23 June, after a three-year 
course taught by Canadian teachers. A capacity-building development project 
of the Canadian NGO Global Aid Network (GAiN), the school was inaugurated in 
the fall of 2002.
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End CanKor # 217

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