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Asia Times reported that despite the warm feelings caused by the united entrance of the DPRK and ROK during the opening of the Olympics, there is still cause for worry. A decade ago in an earlier phase of seeming inter-Korean reconciliation, the DPRK and the ROK entered a single team for the 1991 world table tennis championships in Japan. In the same year the two Koreas also sent a joint team to the world youth soccer championships in Portugal. But then, nothing happened and the situation fell back to into the usual hostilities.
There were occasions, starting in 1972 when the head of the ROK's KCIA met former DPRK leader Kim Il-sung's brother in Pyongyang, which led to Red Cross and other talks, where the prospects for peace seemed possible but no progress resulted. In 1984 and in the early 1990s, the two countries tried again but no breakthrough was found. Viewing the recent developments between the DPRK and the ROK with the backdrop of such history, the author asks, "will it all go wrong again?" He answers his own question, "In theory, yes. But in practice, I think not - and the risk falls with each fresh tie. What is new this time is the sheer range and pace of contacts, creating a momentum that makes it ever harder to go back. Besides, South Korea has a wise, sincere leader - and a desperate North Korea has nowhere else to turn. Not a bad basis for dialogue." (Aidan Foster-Carter, "PYONGYANG WATCH: BREAKTHROUGH DÉJÀ VU," 9/26/00)
Chosun Ilbo reported that the DPRK's official Rodung Shinmun called for the withdrawal of the US Forces in Korea (USFK) on September 27 saying that the US desire to maintain troops on the peninsula "immoral and sly," given the atmosphere of reconciliation.
The paper's call is seen as a response to Defense Secretary William Cohen agreeing with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori and Defense Minister Kazuo Torashima that the USFK was needed in the region for military balance. It is the first time in three months that the previously often used demand has been levelled. The newspaper called the USFK, "the main force of disturbance of peace and safety on the Korean peninsula and created the danger of war," adding that "it was the main source of unhappiness and pain among the South Korea people." The paper also said that as the two Koreas have decided to solve unification issues independently, there is now no justification for the USFK to remain in the ROK. (Yoon Jong-ho, "NK PARTY ORGAN AGAIN CALLS FOR USFK WITHDRAWAL," Seoul, 09/27/00)
Pyongyang, September 25 (KCNA) -- The director of the agricultural department of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea issued a statement today as regards serious damage in the agricultural sector caused by this year's drought, heat and typhoon.
He said: The precipitation in the whole areas during the sowing period of rice and maize, the main crops, dropped 40-50 percent as compared with the annual average precipitation and, worse still, it rained little in some areas for 40-50 days. Owing to the long spell of drought water storage at reservoirs reached 3-18 percent of the plan and paddy and non-paddy fields of north and south Hwanghae provinces, north and south Phyongan, Kangwon and south Hamgyong provinces, major granaries, could hardly be watered. As a result, rice transplanting across the country was delayed more than one month and rice was not transplanted in some areas. Worse still, as serious drought and abnormal high temperature continued till mid-august, paddy fields dried up, rice roots rotted and maize withered to die. as a result harvest is little expected in many paddy and non-paddy fields. The amount of grain yield reduction caused by serious drought and heat is more than one million tons, about 360,000 tons of rice and 660,000 tons of maize.
This was confirmed on the spot by international organizations on the mission of humanitarian aid in the DPRK. Some 140,000 hectares of arable land, including at least 46,000 hectares of paddy fields and more than 76,000 hectares of non-paddy fields, were swept away, buried in silt and inundated by two strong typhoons some time ago. Owing to the typhoon damage, the yields of rice and maize are expected to drop at least 405,000 tons. The amount of the lost grain caused by natural disasters including drought, heat and typhoons in our country this year is estimated at more than 1.4 million tons in all. Therefore, it is certain that the shortage of food will continue next year, too.
The DPRK government, consistently maintaining the policy of attaching importance to agriculture, is taking practical steps to remove the after-effects of the natural disasters and stabilize the life of the people in the afflicted areas. The Korean people will in the future, too, make every possible effort to keep the agricultural production at a steady rate at an early date and secure a sustained food security, overcoming the difficulties in their way.
Agence France Presse reported that the DPRK government said Monday that at least 1.4 million tons of grain had been lost because of severe drought and typhoons this year. A top agriculture ministry official said in a statement, quoted by DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency, said about 360,000 tons of rice and 660,000 tons of maize had been lost to drought over one area of the state while another area hit by typhoons caused the loss of another 405,000 tons of grain. The statement said, "It is certain that the shortage of food will continue next year too." The statement also said some reservoirs had only between three and 18 percent of expected water levels in the provinces of North and South Hwanghae, North and South Phyongan, Kanwon and South Hamgyong. The DPRK government said its estimates of one million ton of lost grain "was confirmed on the spot by international organizations" on a mission to assess aid needed for the DPRK. ("NORTH KOREA SAYS 1.4 MILLION TONNES OF GRAIN LOST TO DROUGHT," Seoul, 9/25/00) and the Associated Press ("NORTH KOREA REPORTS CROP DAMAGE," Seoul, 9/25/00)
Agence France Presse reported that US Defense Secretary William Cohen and ROK's Defense Minister Cho Sung-Tae said Thursday after annual security talks that the DPRK remains a military threat despite the thaw on the Korean peninsula and both countries must take "substantial" measures to reduce tensions. A joint statement said they welcomed the inter-Korean summit, "however, they note that North Korea's chemical, biological, nuclear and long range missile programs continue to pose a threat to the Republic of Korea, to the United States and regional security."
They urged the DPRK to abide by international conventions banning the production, possession and use of these weapons. Cohen and Cho "emphasized the need for North Korea to take substantial and very viable measures to reduce military tensions and support the positive environment created by recent inter-Korean dialogue and diplomatic progress between North Korea and other countries."
They also agreed that the ROK-US security alliance is stronger than ever and that combined defense readiness should be steadfastly maintained to deter a wide range of possible threats and to reinforce engagement with the DPRK. The statement also said, "Secretary Cohen reaffirmed the US commitment to render prompt and effective assistance to the ROK in deterring any repelling any armed attack against the ROK. The US also reaffirmed its commitment to provide a nuclear umbrella for the ROK." ("NORTH KOREA REMAINS MILITARY THREAT DESPITE THAW: US AND SOUTH WARN," Seoul, 9/21/00) and Associated Press (Christopher Torchia, " COHEN: N. KOREA STILL POSES THREAT," Seoul, 9/21/00)
The International Herald Tribune reported that an intelligence report prepared by the US military command in the ROK warned of a rising DPRK threat. According to a document titled "North Korean Threat" that was compiled by the intelligence section of the US command in ROK, the DPRK has "an offensive military capability designed to prosecute a short and violent war." It said that DPRK troops could overwhelm ROK and US troops "and occupy the Korean Peninsula" before reinforcements arrived from the US.
Although the document was prepared shortly before the inter-Korean summit, US military officials said that the only update it needs would be reports on the latest DPRK exercises. US State Department officials denied that the view of the US military command conflicted with statements of complete support for Kim Dae-jung's efforts at rapprochement offered by the US ambassador in Seoul, Stephen Bosworth. However, US military analysts cited what they say is "a high level of activity" by the DPRK military units since the summit meeting. A veteran analyst said that the summit talks had had no impact on DPRK military behavior. He saw nonstop DPRK exercises as fitting in with a pattern that has puzzled and alarmed the command here in "an unusually active year" for DPRK forces.
Although some military observers said that the US command has a vested interest in perpetuating their presence, Jee Man-won, a leading ROK defense analyst, warned this week that inter-Korean railway links would pave the way "for a possible North Korean invasion" in which the DPRK's troops could quickly surround Seoul. The report continued that over the past few years, the DPRK has steadily moved military units south toward the Demilitarized Zone so that "today, 70 percent of all combat forces are south of a line between Pyongyang and Wonsan or 100 kilometers from the DMZ." (Don Kirk, "THREAT FROM NORTH KOREA RISING, U.S. ARMY WARNS," Seoul, 9/8/00)
On 1 September 2000, DPRK has strengthened its new open policies and courted the international community in cyberspace by opening of a sensational homepage, JUCHE-KOREA ONLINE (http://www.juche-koreaonline.com) to provide information and news related to it in the English language. Japanese and Chinese versions will reportedly be available sometime this year.
The operator of the homepage is an unidentified Juche ideology partisan from Germany. However, the contents of the site strongly suggest that it is actually the official homepage of the DPRK government, the purpose of the site, according to its own introduction, is to help foreigners better understand the DPRK and to provide information on the activities of National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il, news related to its government, and information on economy and investment.
The Washington Post reported that, according to visitors and other outside observers, the DPRK has emerged stronger and more stable from an economic and political crisis with key assistance from the US and other countries. These sources said that the DPRK economy is growing for the first time in nine years and the mass starvation of the past five years is largely over, as is the political stagnation that followed the death of Kim Il-sung in 1994.
Koichiro Matsuura, a senior UN official, said last month after a trip to the DPRK, "They have definitely come out of the worst period." Bruce S. Lemkin, a senior policy adviser on the light-water reactor project, who traveled there recently, said, "I saw a dramatic difference this time." On a visit 15 months earlier, he said, "the conditions were pretty grim. [This time,] I saw trains operating. I saw farm machinery. I saw schoolchildren waiting for school buses, and they looked healthy," he said. "The rice paddies appeared green; it all appeared more lively." The economy is estimated to be operating at only 75 percent of the level of a decade ago. Aid workers said that pockets of hunger and signs of malnutrition remain. The Bank of Korea concluded, "it's reasonable to predict that the worst is over for the North Korean economy."
Shinobu Sawaike, who makes frequent trips there as head of a
Japanese trade group, said, "Every time I go, Pyongyang gets better and
better. In 1997, when I first went, the city was far from bustling.
The food at the hotel was very shabby. We visited a lot of factories
that were not operating. I never saw regular people riding bicycles. I
thought they were really struggling. Now, the hotels are renovated,
there are more cars on the streets, the town is cleaner; I see a
considerable number of bicycles."
Analysts said that DPRK leader Kim Jong-il's recent public debut at the inter-Korean summit and the recent blitz of DPRK diplomacy is a sign that Kim has firmly and confidently consolidated power following his father's death.
Victor Cha, a Korea specialist at Georgetown University, said, "You get the sense there was a long transition process, and the summit is symptomatic of the end of that process. Politically, things seem as though there has been some sense of completion." (Doug Struck, "NORTH KOREA BACK FROM THE BRINK," Tokyo, 9/5/00)
Pyongyang, September 2 (KCNA) - General Secretary Kim Jong Il visited Jagang Province from August 28 to 31 to direct the work in different domains of its national economy. The units given his on-site guidance include the Kanggye Precision Machine Complex, the Kanggye Silk-Spinning Mill, a power station, a forestry station, cooperative farms and a school.
He went first to the Kanggye Precision Machine Complex to see how its workers work and expressed satisfaction with their production of high-quality machines before highly appreciating their successes. Then, he called at shops of the Kanggye Silk-Spinning Mill to acquaint himself with its production and set forth tasks to increase the output of silk thread.
The next leg of his visit was the Hungju Youth Power Atation newly built on river Jangja and a village of modern dwelling houses equipped with electric appliances. He acquainted himself with the construction of the power station and its management and operation before highly appreciating the builders' feat. He went round the village of model dwelling houses built in Hungju-dong where electrification has been realized.
Visiting a discharged soldier's house to learn about his living conditions, he said that each household in this village should be provided with up to date TV sets. and he posed for a picture with his family members.
Then he moved to a village of the Songgan Forestry Station and said the village looks like a picture. He also inspected Jangphyong and Mudok co-op farms in Janggang county and the Songha Sericultural Cooperative Farm in Songgan county. After learning about the farming, stock-breeding and sericulture there, he praised the farmers for their devoted efforts.
He also provided on-site guidance to the Songgan Senior Middle School in Songgan county. He looked round a classroom, laboratory and other facilities of the school and learned about how students are educated. He had a picture taken with teachers and students of the school. He also posed for a photograph with a merited road maintenance worker of the Songgan county road management corps and her family on a pass, highly appreciating their patriotic devotion. He appreciated an art performance given by school children in Jagang Province.
He, on the basis of having acquainted himself in detail with the overall work in the province, put forth highly important tasks which would serve as guidelines in putting the national economy in the province on a higher plane. He highly appreciated the fighting spirit and traits of the workers and other people in Jagang Province, the creators of the great spirit of Kanggye, noting that they are performing miracles and feats every hour, taking the lead also in the all-out charge for building a powerful nation. He also proposed tasks to keep production going at a high rate, boost the electricity and grain production, develop stock-breeding and sericulture, improve land management and the standard of people's living.
He was accompanied by Yon Hyong Muk, chief secretary of the Jagang Provincial Committee of the WPK, Jon Pyong Ho and Kim Kuk Thae, secretaries of the c.c., the WPK, and its first vice-department directors.
The Associated Press reported that Koichiro Matsuura, director-general of the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, said on Friday that a lack of rain will hurt the DPRK's
crops this year, forcing the country to continue to depend on outside aid to feed its people. Matsuura said, "North Korea will continue to need
large-scale international food aid." Matsuura met ROK President Kim Dae-jung and ROK Foreign Minister Lee Joung-binn on Friday to discuss his
findings in the DPRK.
Matsuura said the UN World Food Program will soon issue a new appeal for international aid for the DPRK. Citing UN officials working in the DPRK, he said that the DPRK's crop harvest this year might be lower than last year, but it is not as bad as the worst period in the mid-1990s. He added, "As a whole, North Korea's economy is recovering." ("UN OFFICIAL - N KOREA STILL IN NEED OF OUTSIDE FOOD AID," Seoul, 8/25/00) and Reuters ("NORTH KOREA FACING FOOD CRISIS, NEEDS AID -UNESCO," Seoul, 8/25/00)
Russian newspapers reported that it seemed that RF President Vladimir Putin fell a victim of DPRK leader Kim Jong-il's "practical joke." On August 12, Kim told a group of ROK mass media representatives at a lunch in Pyongyang that his statement on a possibility of cancellation of DPRK missile program should not be considered seriously. He said: "I joked when I made a statement concerning scientific research in the field of missile technologies.
Vladimir Putin did not react to it, but then grabbed it firmly." He also said that DPRK was selling its missiles to Iran and Syria and was not going to give away that source of currency inflow. The RF Foreign Ministry said that there was no official reaction to Kim's words, but that it was bound to come "from the very top." Segodnya (Aleksandr Chudodeyev, "CHUCHE COUNTRY HUMOR," Moscow, 1, 08/15/00) and Izvestia (Maksim Yusin, "EVERY JOKE IS PARTLY A JOKE," Moscow, 4, 08/15/00)
Asian Wall Street Journal published an article which said that when DPRK leader Kim Jong-il and ROK President Kim Dae-jung met two months ago at the historical inter-Korean summit, pundits and columnists across the globe were reacted very positively.
The feeling of good will was compounded when Russian President Vladimir Putin returned from a visit with Kim Jong-il with a pledge by Kim that the DPRK would discontinue its missile program an in exchange for help in launching a few research satellites. And when the US stubbornly insisted on a missile defense system and was reluctant to extend full diplomatic relations to the DPRK, the US was criticized as an obstacle to peace. However, the editor wrote, "the Russian president is just the latest in a long line of world leaders who have been double-crossed by the North's Dear Leader."
The writer noted that the statements released by a group of ROK media executives that met with Kim Jong-il last week proved Kim to be as unreliable as he was thought of in the past. The editor added, "it's time for those who believed the Korea summit would lead to a real rapprochement to reconsider. While they're at it, they could stop insisting that the Clinton administration was wrong not to take advantage of the North's peace initiative.
The truth is exactly the opposite--the present administration's dealings with the North have been marked more by appeasement than strength." The writer also said that given the DPRK's consistently bellicose propaganda, "it was always hard to believe that the country's leaders were changing their stance toward the outside world.
Mr. Kim's performance at the June summit may have been enough to fool a few people who were temperamentally inclined to believe that the U.S. is to blame for the impasse on the Korean peninsula. But his latest remarks reveal the game for what it is, an attempt to extort money and to discomfit U.S. strategic planners. The U.S. should stiffen its resolve not to give in to the missile blackmail." ("MR. KIM'S JOKES," 8/17/00)
Los Angeles Times published an editorial which said the DPRK continues to perplex US officials as they reassess policies toward the state. A month ago, DPRK leader Kim Jong Il told Russian President Vladimir V. Putin that he might halt development of long-range rockets if other countries agreed to launch DPRK's satellites.
However, visiting ROK media executives' account of Kim's dismissal of his missile remarks as a joke deepened the uncertainties over how committed he is to pursuing detente. The editor said that "the easing in relations between the two Koreas, inaugurated by South Korean President Kim Dae Jung's visit to Pyongyang in June, is welcome. But it remains unclear whether North Korea, in desperate need of aid and investment, has decided on a more accommodating course or merely seeks to squeeze as much as possible out of its adversaries while giving as little as it can in return."
In his meeting with the ROK executives, Kim Jong Il boasted that he didn't need to woo major countries; "powerful nations come to me." And, the editor wrote, "So they have, led by the United States. But a one-sided courtship doesn't make for an effective policy. Unless something more than opaque talk and lame jokes come from Pyongyang, Washington is apt to finally conclude that it's being played for a sucker." ("PYONGYANG'S SUCKER LIST," 8/17/00)
The International Herald Tribune reported that analysts said on August 9 that DPRK leader Kim Jong-il has opened the way to having at least some US troops stay in the ROK. Kim reportedly made clear his acceptance of a US military presence in the ROK during talks in Pyongyang in June with ROK President Kim Dae-jung.
Choi Jin-wook, research fellow at the Korean Institute of National Unification, said, "Those with Kim Dae-jung in the talks have said that Kim Jong-il said that U.S. forces may stay." Choi said that the remark appeared logical, as another in a series of statements by both Kim Jong-il and his father, Kim Il-sung, suggested that they were in no hurry for US troops to withdraw and would not demand a US pullout as a prerequisite for reunification....
The Korea Herald reported that ROK military officials said on August 9 that the ROK Defense Ministry is considering launching an army task force to help support the proposed reconnection of the severed Kyungui (Seoul-Sinuiju) railway. The special Army squad, to be composed of some 2,000 soldiers from several engineering battalions and mine disposal units, will be responsible for removing mines within the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and laying the groundwork for the railroad.
On August 5, the ROK Defense Ministry said that it would launch mine clearance work in the DMZ as early as mid- September, after consultations with the United Nations Command. He predicted that the joint DPRK-ROK mine-clearing issue would be raised by the ROK at the forthcoming inter-Korean ministerial talks scheduled for August 29 in Pyongyang. Officials said that the DPRK will also likely mobilize troops to construct the railway. (Kang Seok-jae, "DEFENSE MINISTRY MULLS LAUNCHING SPECIAL TEAM FOR S-N RAIL PROJECT," Seoul, 08/10/00)
The New York Times reported that there are disagreements between senior US diplomats and the US Defense Department's top intelligence officials over how to interpret the few hard facts available about the DPRK. Lawmakers said that the dispute had spurred them to demand an independent review of the evidence on DPRK, which the administration eventually acceded to with the appointment of former Defense Secretary William J. Perry as special adviser.
Much of the debate stems from arcane arguments over photos or snippets of intelligence from agents. US State Department officials said that the US Defense Department intelligence agency has been painting far too black a picture, surmising on sketchy evidence that the DPRK has up to 10 new installations working on a covert nuclear program.
The US State Department officials said that their skepticism about the quality of the Defense Intelligence Agency's work had been deepened by the inspection of the alleged nuclear site at Kumchangri, which was found to be empty. The skepticism deepened after US officials discovered that another installation that had fallen under DIA suspicion turned out to be an underground storage site for the memorabilia of the DPRK leadership.
However, intelligence analysts at the DIA are said to believe that the US State Department has been far too willing to overlook reports of suspicious activity. Several US officials said that the administration has never asked to inspect a secret installation believed to be a warhead storage site. (James Risen, "FERRETING OUT NORTH KOREA'S NUCLEAR SECRETS: U.S. INTELLIGENCE EXPERTS AT ODDS," Washington, 8/5/00)
The Korea Herald reported that ROK government officials said on August 3 that the suspended portion of the inter-Korean railway between Seoul and Shinuiju in the DPRK will likely be reconnected as early as fall next year. A detailed schedule for the railway project will be discussed during the second inter-Korean ministerial meeting, slated to open in Pyongyang on August 29. If the two inter-Korean railways are reconnected, it would mark a breakthrough in relations between the two Koreas. (Shin Yong-bae, "TRAIN LINK TO NORTH KOREA COULD BE OPERATING WITHIN ONE YEAR, OFFICIALS SAY," Seoul, 08/04/00)
The Asahi Shimbun reported that a preliminary group of Japanese visitors would likely to visit Mount Kumgang in late August at the invitation of DPRK leader Kim Jong-il. The group aims to explore the possibility of tourism-related investment in the DPRK, but ordinary Japanese tourists would be able to visit the mountain in October at the earliest. The DPRK expects Japanese investors to help develop the area designated as a "special economic area," which the DPRK and ROK Hyundai Group had already agreed to develop. Hyundai also expects Japanese companies to participate in the development of tourism in the Kumgangsan area. ("KIM JONG-IL INSTRUCTED TO ALLOW JAPANESE TO VISIT MT. KUMGANGSAN," 08/01/2000)
The Korea Times reported that ROK analysts said on July 31 that the DPRK is apparently seeking to reinforce the organization of pro-DPRK Korean residents in Japan by opening the way for them to visit the ROK to meet their relatives here. Chin Hee-gwan, research fellow at the Institute for Peace Affairs, said, "Chongnyon, the association of pro-North Korean residents in Japan, has played a significant role in helping the poverty-stricken North Korea alleviate its financial burden." ("NK AIMS TO STRENGTHEN KOREAN PRO-PYONGYANG GROUPS IN JAPAN," Seoul, 08/01/00)
Joongang Ilbo reported that on August 4 the ROK Red Cross will reveal the final list of 100 people who will get to visit their DPRK kin as members of the DPRK-ROK separated family exchange program. The exchange of visits will take place on Liberation Day, August 15. The visits will last for four days. Park Ki-ryun, secretary general of the ROK Red Cross, said that the DPRK would reveal on August 1 or 2 whether or not the families of 62 ROK citizens who applied to visit the DPRK under the program are still alive. (Kim Jun-byung, "FINAL LIST OF 100 SEPARATED FAMILY MEMBERS TO BE REVEALED AUGUST 4," Seoul, 08/01/00)
The Associated Press reported that a US official said that
while negative coverage of the US by the DPRK's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)
still occurs, the stories are being picked up from foreign media
outlets, with internally generated articles exhibiting a markedly less hostile
tone towards the US. The official said that this trend is reflective of
changes in the DPRK's international relations. The official said that
KCNA's restraint matches the Clinton administration's restraint as it tries to
draw the DPRK to talks, but this restraint has not been emulated by many
members of the US Congress.
Joongang Ilbo reported that the DPRK is strengthening its new open policies and courting the international community in cyberspace. The DPRK premiered its homepage, DPRKorea Infobank (www.dprkorea.com) on July 10 to provide information and news related to it in the English language. Japanese and Chinese versions will reportedly be available sometime this year. The operator of the homepage is the Pan-Pacific Economic Development Association of Korean Nationals, whose headquarters are in Beijing. However, the contents of the site strongly suggest that it is actually the official homepage of the DPRK government. The purpose of the site, according to its own introduction, is to help foreigners better understand the DPRK and to provide information on the activities of National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il, news related to its government, and information on economy and investment. (Ye Yong-jun, "NORTH KOREA LAUNCHES INTERNET SITE," Seoul, 07/11/00)
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported that the head of an emergency aid group from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) told reporters on July 13 in Japan that the drought situation in the DPRK is serious. The agency visited the DPRK on July 2 and stayed for 8 days to watch the drought situation in the DPRK. The head of UNICEF said that the lack of water has dried the soil of farmlands in Pyongyang and that residents are suffering some skin disease presumably caused by the drought. The group's head also said that DPRK authorities are now investigating the effects of the drought, but that no numerical data have been provided to indicate the degree of the effects. The group's head said, "It is unclear how much damage the drought has done, but the drought may have significantly affected rice production." ("UNICEF SAYS DPRK DROUGHT SITUATION IS SERIOUS," 07/14/2000)
Agence France Presse reported that the DPRK said on Tuesday that its agricultural output would suffer a sharp drop this year because of a drought and a lengthy heatwave. The DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, "An unusually long spell of heat persisted in almost all areas of the DPRK until July 10 due to the effect of hot and dry air moving from vast areas of the Asian continent. In consequence, agricultural production this year is expected to suffer a sharp drop." KCNA gave no figures to describe the production fall, but the UN Development Program figures show that the DPRK's agricultural production has fallen 70 percent in the past four years. ("HEATWAVE CAUSES SHARP DROP IN NORTH KOREA'S AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION," Seoul, 7/11/00) and the Associated Press ("N. KOREA: NEWS MEDIA FORECAST ANOTHER BAD HARVEST," Seoul, 7/11/00)
The Korea Herald reported that, in its report on the DPRK's recent diplomatic changes released on Monday, the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS), an ROK government think tank, forecast that DPRK leader Kim Jong-il will seek to normalize the DPRK's ruling system by opening a Worker's Party Congress in October. Unlike the administration and the Supreme People's Assembly, the ruling party, led by Kim, chairman of the National Defense Commission, has remained inactive. Officials at the Unification Ministry in Seoul said that the DPRK will likely revise party regulations and reshape party organizations if and when Pyongyang reconvenes the congress. "The junior Kim has succeeded in reshaping his country's ruling system on the basis of Army-first politics, similar with the militarism Japan promoted in the past," the IFANS report said. It also offered that a DPRK decision to normalize its ruling system may have been behind its move to come out of isolation. (Shin Yong-bae, "NORTH KOREA MAY HOLD RULING PARTY CONGRESS TO END MILITARY RULE," Seoul, 07/04/00)
The Associated Press reported that David Morton, who
coordinates UN assistance to the DPRK, said that the worst of a five-year
famine over and the DPRK foresees feeding itself in two years' time if it has
good weather and is given US$250 million in aid.
The DPRK said that under the three-year plan its goal is to achieve food
self-sufficiency by producing 5.5 million tons of cereal by 2002. The UN
has said the last harvest was equivalent to 4.2 million tons of unmilled grain
and the DPRK received 800,000 tons of foreign grain, still 500,000 tons short
of the total needed for its 22.5 million people. Morton said that target
meant "rock-bottom self sufficiency," and would depend on good
weather and adequate fertilizer supplies. ("GIVEN AID,
GOOD WEATHER, N KOREA MAY FEED ITSELF - UN," Beijing, 6/28/00) and Reuters
(Paul Eckert, "N.KOREA'S DIPLOMACY SEEN HELPING FOOD AID CAUSE,"
Beijing, 6/28/00)
The Financial Times carried an article by John Owen-Davies, a former Reuters foreign correspondent and bureau chief in Asia and Africa, who visited the DPRK to attend an aid workers' conference as part of a nine-person team from Britain. He said that while the guide was pleasant, a visit to several hospitals underlined the decline of DPRK public health services as equipment was inadequate, supplies of antibiotics and anaesthetics were low, sanitation and heating were poor, and there were many broken windows. One hospital doctor in Anju, when asked for his equipment wish- list, quickly replied, "Operating equipment, diagnostic equipment, X-ray machines, ECG equipment, ambulance, transport for staff."
Another team member said, "The people are seeing foreigners from an array of countries. People know (aid workers) are here and trying to assist them. In 1997, they ran away." The author said that while the first impression of the DPRK is conformity, occasionally a DPRK person will exchange nods with a foreigner, and the odd baseball caps and designer clothes can be seen. A South American aid worker stated, "It is very hard and challenging here. But there have been changes since 1995. There are more cars, especially Mercedes and BMWs, in the city and more foreigners. There is also more tolerance of outsiders." (John Owen-Davies, "SAY IT WITH FLOWERS," 6/24/00)
Chosun Ilbo reported that in an off the record meeting held June 19, ROK National Intelligence Service (NIS) head Lim Dong-won briefed media heads on the fact that DPRK leader Kim Jong-il was to change the People's Workers Party Charter to remove the section calling for unification of the Korean peninsula under communism. The part of the charter to be deleted states; "our party's immediate objective is to complete national liberation under a revolutionary people's democracy and to build a self reliant (Juche) society under communism." Lim added that Kim Jong-il also agreed that US Forces in Korea (USFK) were necessary for the security of Northeast Asia. ("NORTH KOREA TO ALTER PARTY CHARTER," Seoul, 06/22/00)
Coca-Cola Makes Debut in N. Korea
The Associated Press
Thursday, June 22, 2000; 10:53 a.m. EDT
ATLANTA –– Six years after its return to Vietnam, Coca-Cola has made its
debut in another communist nation – North Korea. The beverage giant on Wednesday marked a beginning of newly liberalized
trade by sending in several hundred cases of drinks. We're going to monitor the business there and see what makes
sense," Coke spokesman Robert Baskin said. Coca-Cola Co. and other U.S. companies were prevented from doing business
in the communist country of more than 22.5 million people for almost 50 years.
That changed with the summit last week between leaders of North and South
Korea, where Coca-Cola has been selling its products for decades. Coke entered Vietnam less than 24 hours after the United States ended a
trade embargo with that country in 1994. The company is still barred from selling beverages in about half a dozen
countries, including Libya and Cuba.
And the imperialists are resorting to all means such as power politics, "cooperation," appeasement and deception to realise "globalization." The danger of the U.S. "expansion strategy" has been exposed everywhere in the world, the article said, adding that "globalization" brought not benefit but misfortune to members of the international community. The world people should see into the aggressive and reactionary nature of "globalization" and wage a powerful struggle against dominationist "globalization."
Chosun Ilbo reported that the DPRK's "Rodong Shinmun"
and "Minju Chosun" newspapers
extensively covered the meeting between ROK President Kim Dae-jung and DPRK
leader Kim Jong-il, devoting four out of their six pages to the Summit Talks.
The front pages of both newspapers carried a 20cm by 25cm photograph of the
two leaders shaking hands at Sunan International Airport on the outskirts of
Pyongyang. Headlines included "South Delegation Arrives in
Pyongyang for Historic Meeting and Summit Talks," "The Great Leader
Comrade Kim Jong-il Went to Pyongyang Airport and Warmly Received President
Kim Dae-jung," and "The Airport and Streets of Pyongyang are
Engulfed by the Passion of Welcome." The newspapers made no comment
concerning President Kim's arrival statement, but reported in full his dinner
time speech along with a myriad of photographs. A conspicuous change has
been noticed in the DPRK media reports since the commencement of the DPRK-ROK
Summit with outlets openly referring to "President Kim Dae-jung,"
rather than "South Korean ruler" and "Puppet of a foreign
power." While not referring to the ROK specifically they are
calling it the "South Side." Also for the first time ministers
are being called by their titles while ROK First Lady Lee Hee-ho is being
given the honorific "Lady." ("NK NEWSPAPERS
FETE KIM'S VISIT," Pyongyang, 06/14/00)
Chosun Ilbo reported that, according to the Choson Shinbo, a newspaper published by pro-DPRK association in Japan, the inter-Korean Summit Meeting news released by DPRK's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) will be available on the Internet at www.tangun.co.jp, a homepage managed by a film distributor, the Asia Picture Center (APC). The Choson Shinbo revealed that the KCNA was launching a page at the Tangun site so that people can view related reports of the talks, which the agency would also broadcast via satellite. Despite the announcement, the site did not operate until Monday afternoon. The Tangun site promotes DPRK films and DPRK musicians and perform artists, and offers information in Korean, Japanese, and English. (Kwon Dae-yeol, "NORTH KOREA TO RELEASE SUMMIT INFO ON THE INTERNET," Tokyo, 06/12/00)
The Korea Times reported that although reporters of the 50-member ROK press corps were not allowed personal contacts with Pyongyang citizens, they did sight movement of a small number of residents along calm and peaceful streets. A guide for the press corps said, "Most Pyongyang citizens usually go to work between 8 and 9:30 in the morning. The one and a half hour time span enables residents to avoid large jams." He added that most Pyongyang residents watched on TV news Tuesday night about the first inter-Korean encounter between President Kim Dae-jung and the DPRK National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il. The guide quoted several residents as saying that they were much impressed by the meeting. Asked how the residents reacted, the guide advised reporters to read the daily Rodong Shinmun, a DPRK Communist Party organ, and said that citizens' opinions were well reflected in that newspaper. He said that the people's reaction was virtually equal to the editorial discretion of the party organ and refused to comment any further. (Chong Wa Dae Press Corps, "STREETS OF PYONGYANG REMAIN CALM, PEACEFUL," Pyongyang, 06/14/00)
People's Daily reported that the DPRK was waiting for the beginning of the ROK-DPRK summit in a calm atmosphere. At the time when the summit was approaching, the report said, people in Pyongyang worked and lived as always and there was no bustle as would be expected before an important event. During the days before the summit, the report said, major media of the DPRK successively published and broadcast articles which appealed for the improvement of DPRK-ROK relations and peaceful realization of reunification. (Zhang Xinghua, "DPRK CALM BEFORE SUMMIT," Pyongyang, 6/13/00, P6)
Joongang Ilbo reported that ROK National Intelligence Service (NIS)
head Lim Dong-won made an unexpected appearance at Tuesday's summit meeting
after being quietly included at the last minute as a member of the inter-Korean
summit delegation. Lim arrived in Pyongyang with ROK President Kim
Dae-jung. An unnamed official at the NIS pointed out that Lim visited the
DPRK not as a leader of the NIS but as an aide to Kim Dae-jung. Another
unnamed official said, "Lim's quiet inclusion was at the request of the
North who reasoned that they would lose face if they officially accepted a visit
from the leader of the NIS, an organization which they have harshly criticized
for a long time for its anti-North Korea activities. Therefore, Lim's
visit had to be kept secret until his arrival." Lim, a former head of
ROK's National Security and Foreign Affairs at Chong Wa Dae and also a former
ROK Unification Minister, led the way in establishing secret contacts with the
DPRK and was instrumental in clinching the deal to hold the vice-ministerial
level talks between the two Koreas in Beijing last June. It is reported
that he also played a major role in behind the scenes negotiations about the
current inter-Korean summit as well. (Lee Young-jong,
"LIM DONG-WON APPEARS OUT OF THE BLUE," Seoul, 06/14/00)
Chosun Ilbo reported that the construction of a 30 km railroad connecting Kangsung in the ROK's Kangwon Province and Onjung, near Mt. Kumkang in the DPRK is likely to begin before the end of the year.
According to an unnamed official at the Hyundai Business Group, Hyundai has been consulting with concerned ROK government offices on the project. The official said that the railroad project would be one of the agenda items to be discussed during the inter-Korean summit. (Lee Kwang-hoi, "30-KM LONG INTER-KOREA RAILWAY UNDER STUDY," Seoul, 06/08/00)
Reuters reported that the official DPRK Korean Central News Agency said on Friday that "drought and heat persist in all parts" of the country. It said, "paddy fields are parched and rice-transplantation is suspended in some areas. Maize and other crops in dry fields are also hard hit." ("PYONGYANG REPORTS NEW DROUGHT," Seoul, 6/9/00)
According to data available at the Ministry of Land and Environment Protection, more than 200,000 hectares of farm land were leveled and rezoned, at least 700,000 hectares of forest created, over 2,500 km of new roads built, over 30,000 km of rivers improved, some 9,000 gas and dust absorbing equipment repaired and about 10,000 sewage purifying stations were newly built or reconditioned recently.
This spring, at least 648 million saplings of fast propagating trees were planted, river improvement and anti-land-sliding projects were carried out along over 2,750 km of sections of rivers and roads. Economic forests, forests of oil bearing trees and green belts were created across the country and there are over tens of thousands of square metres of parks, recreation grounds and flower gardens in urban and rural areas of the country.
The DPRK has taken strong measures against air pollution in keeping with the developing industry. There are scores of observation stations in main cities and industrial areas which regularly analyze the environment situation. The air pollution in the country is less than one tenth of the international air pollution tolerance limits. The sanitary condition of water and land is also good.
Thanks to the popular environment protection policy of the Worker's Party of Korea, animal resources of the country are on a steady increase.
According to the survey made by the animal protection association under the nature conservation federation, over ten species of birds flew in the DPRK in recent years alone. The environmental protection is fully ensured by the DPRK law on the protection of environment which was adopted in April 1986.
Agence France Presse reported that DPRK leader Kim Jong-il's visit to the PRC gave analysts an unexpected glimpse into his diplomatic leadership. Experts said Kim's trip to the PRC showed that the DPRK, preparing for a first-ever June 12-14 summit with the ROK, is departing from its narrow external focus on the US.
Charles Armstrong, East Asian Institute professor at New York's Columbia University, said, "I cannot speak for the US government, but I and probably most Western observers of North Korea were surprised by the visit. China's public show of support for North Korea sends a signal to Japan and the United States that they must be actively engaged in a regional dialogue on the Korean issue and take North Korea seriously."
Scott Snyder, an ROK-based analyst of the US' private Asia Foundation, said that Kim's trip to the PRC exposed him as a "leader who has the willingness and capacity to engage in public diplomacy." Snyder said that Kim was seeking "critical psychological and material support" from the PRC ahead of the summit. He added that this sent the message that "the North's dependency on South Korea for economic support cannot be taken for granted."
Hajime Izumi, professor at Japan's Shizuoka University, said, "we are surprised because we had never expected Kim to make such a reasonable move. It has become clear that his diplomacy is based on reasonable judgment."
Robert Manning, Asian studies director at the Council on Foreign Relations, argued, "the summit is the crucible in which this bargain will play out. It is tempting to view North Korea's new diplomacy as reflecting a realization by Pyongyang that it has gotten most of what it can get from the US without paying a price."
Satoshi Morimoto a professor at Tokyo's Takushoku University, stated, "North Korea is pursuing a sort of all-around diplomacy as a catalyst to boost relations with the United States" which is unready to give aid. ("NORTH KOREAN LEADER'S COMING-OUT PARTY BOOSTS PEACE OFFENSIVE," Tokyo, 6/6/00)
The Associated Press reported that DPRK officials and aid workers said that the DPRK is limiting visitors to bolster security for June's inter-Korean summit. Foreign-aid groups, tourists and even the Australian ambassador have in recent days been refused permission to visit the DPRK in June.
While the DPRK government has given various explanations, one aid worker said the DPRK was banning visitors for the month "to ensure security for the summit." When asked if it was possible to visit the DPRK next month, a consular officer at the DPRK Embassy in the PRC said, "It's impossible," refusing to elaborate. An aid official said that the Red Cross has been told it may not send new representatives into the DPRK in June. An official for another international relief agency said that the ban did not cover aid workers already based in the DPRK, who may enter and leave the country, but whose travel inside the DPRK will be restricted to Pyongyang and Nampo, the port that handles most aid shipments. ("NORTH KOREA LIMITS ENTRY UNTIL JULY," Beijing, 5/31/00)
People's Daily reported that the DPRK is implementing a series of policies and measures to improve agricultural production. Those measures included leveling land, building water conservancy projects, and applying science and technology to agriculture production.
The DPRK also encouraged people to develop forestry and livestock breeding. The author believed that under the leadership of the DPRK Party and Government, DPRK people would find a path of developing agriculture with the DPRK's own characteristics, although increasing agricultural production was a difficult task due to the many years of economic difficulties in the DPRK. (Zhang Xinghua, "DPRK MAKES EFFORTS TO INCREASE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION," Pyongyang, 5/30/00, P7)
The location of the North Korean leader was a matter of lively speculation Wednesday among analysts, diplomats and government officials because of published reports that he was secretly in China. Never mind that Kim rarely travels abroad, that he will hold a historic inter-Korean summit in less than two weeks in Pyongyang, and that neither Pyongyang nor Beijing announced a visit.
The North Korean ruler, whose last confirmed trip out of the country was to China in 1983, is so shrouded in mystery that pundits did not rule out a secret trip to the capital of his historical ally. "It's quite possible," said Yasuhiko Yoshida, a North Korea expert at Japan's Saitama University. "It's his style. He does everything incognito...."
Agence France Presse reported that according to the ROK's Joongang Ilbo daily, DPRK leader Kim Jong-Il has reportedly made a secret visit to the PRC for talks with PRC leaders ahead of the June inter-Korean summit. Both the ROK and the PRC refused to confirm the report, but ROK diplomats in the PRC admitted that they were taking it seriously. A PRC railway official at Shenyang, the last major city before the DPRK border, said that a special train was due to pass through on Wednesday afternoon enroute for Pyongyang. The official would not say whether Kim would be aboard.
The daily quoted diplomatic sources in Beijing who said that Kim arrived by train on May 29 and held talks with PRC President Jiang Zemin on May 30. The paper said that the two leaders discussed bilateral issues, with Kim asking for the PRC's position on the June 12-14 summit between the DPRK and ROK. The PRC foreign ministry has repeatedly refused to confirm Kim's visit over the past two days, but spokesman Sun Yuxi said on Wednesday, "we can neither confirm it nor deny, but keep your eyes and ears open." ("NORTH KOREAN LEADER RETURNS HOME AFTER CHINA VISIT," Beijing, 5/31/00)
Joongang Ilbo reported that the DPRK has requested that the "historic meeting" and the "summit" be separated during the June ROK-DPRK talks to be held in Pyongyang. This change is based on special ceremonial formalities used in the DPRK.
Representatives from the ROK and the DPRK decided to make the separation during a May 18 meeting at Panmunjom. Regarding this, concerns have been raised that Kim Jong-il, the general secretary, will be participating in the "historic meeting," while a third person, such as Kim Yong-nam, the chairman of the Standing Committee of the Supreme People's Assembly, would host the summit. A source from the preparatory teams for the summit said on May 24, "North Korea requested a separation of the 'historic meeting' and the 'summit,' in consideration of the fact that the summit would be held in Pyongyang." He continued, "We were nervous about any hidden intentions; however, we decided to accept the request after North Korea explained the reason."
The misunderstanding regarding separate hosts for the historical meeting and summit was created because the ROK was not accustomed to the ceremonial formalities of Pyongyang. This is especially important because the expression "historic meeting" has only been used for certain important leaders, including Jiang Zemin. (Lee Yong-jong, "HISTORICAL MEETINGS VS. SUMMIT IN PYONGYANG," Seoul, 05/25/00)
Chosun Ilbo reported that it was learned from officials and visitors to the DPRK recently that since the beginning of April, DPRK citizens have been observed staging a massive clean up operation in the capital of Pyongyang. Citizens were seen cleaning the banks of the Taedong river and apartment buildings, and repainting old pavilions and the gates to the city. Authorities in Pyongyang are also preparing for the talks and have even gone to the extent of learning President Kim Dae-jung's taste in food and music from pro-DPRK groups in Japan. Many events have also been arranged for after the summit talks, including the visit of the PRC's Li Peng, social, culture and religious delegations from the ROK, and the Seoul-Kumkang motor rally. ROK Minister of Unification (MOU) Park Jae-kyu recently said that DPRK citizens are looking at the talks as a means for unification and better living. ("NK STAGES MASSIVE CLEAN UP OF PYONGYANG," Seoul, 05/23/00)
Reuters reported that Radiopress, a monitoring agency in Tokyo, quoted domestic DPRK radio as saying on Thursday that a farm near Pyongyang is using gases produced from rice husks, corn, and parts of trees to generate electricity. No details were given on how this was done, but the report said that all the necessary equipment had been designed by the farm's residents themselves.("NORTH KOREA USING RICE HUSKS AS POWER SOURCE," Tokyo, 05/19/00)
The Washington Post reported that a poll by the ROK newspaper Munhwa Ilbo indicated that nearly 70 percent of ROK residents expect the DPRK to open its doors to the world sometime after the June inter-Korean summit. However, Park Jong-chul, a director of the Korea Institute for National Unification, a government-supported think tank, said, "North Korea wants the investment, but they don't want to open their society to get it." Kim Byung-kook, a professor of political science at Korea University in Seoul, said that businesses expecting to lead the charge to open the DPRK underestimate the difficulties. He said, "There's no reason for sound-headed, cool-minded businessmen to look at North Korea as a business site. There are more attractive alternatives." ROK President Kim Dae-jung has been trying to lower expectations for his meeting with DPRK leader Kim Jong-il, but the effort is not entirely successful. Kim Young-gyu, of the ROK Ministry of Unification, said, "there is a lot of enthusiasm among private industry to look for investment in the north. There is competition between the big South Korean conglomerates, and North Korea is undeveloped territory for them. Their goal is to conquer that territory for their business, and in the long run, make it an outpost to move into China and Far East Russia." Ahn Byung-joon, a Yonsei University professor and adviser to the ROK Unification and Defense ministries, said of the summit, "I would not expect anything spectacular to come out of it. There is a fair amount of skepticism and wariness about whether North Korea is willing to strike the Big Deal." Veteran ROK National Assembly member Chung Jey-moon said, "North Korea may be changing gradually, but it's not changing suddenly." [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense's Early Bird news service for May 18, 2000.] (Doug Struck, "KOREAS PREPARE FOR HISTORIC SUMMIT," Seoul, 5/18/00)
The Far Eastern Economic Review reported that while the DPRK's recent diplomatic overtures would seem to indicate a willingness to end decades of isolation and begin to cooperate with the outside world, its relations with those foreign organizations that are already in the country are deteriorating. A UN aid worker in the DPRK said, "if anything, the North Korean authorities are becoming more hostile." Despite the new rhetoric in the DPRK that commends DPRK leader Kim Jong-il for having secured "victory" over the flood, famine, and economic decline, aid workers noted that foreign food aid has saved the lives of many DPRK Nationals and tensions are such that some of the groups that provide this support are starting to pull out of the country because the DPRK government continues to severely restrict foreign monitoring of aid. A consensus statement from foreign agencies still operating in the DPRK, including the UN, warns that programs "continue to suffer from difficult operating conditions that limit and constrain implementation, accountability, verification and access to the most vulnerable" populations. Spot checks of aid centers and rehabilitation facilities are still not permitted, and all requests must be made in writing the week before a visit. However, Tom McCarthy, an agricultural consultant who has worked on a series of aid projects in the DPRK, noted that in one potato-growing project last year, DPRK officials took a chance by granting significant access to farms, but because of agency staffing difficulties the project essentially collapsed. Had there been better management by the aid agencies, DPRK "officials who went out on a shaky limb for the project would not now see their judgment called into question" by the DPRK government. The article also noted that the DPRK media remains vitriolic. According to Russian and PRC diplomats, mid-level cadres in the DPRK are explaining the forthcoming summit with ROK President Kim Dae-jung as that of an errant son wanting forgiveness from the DPRK. However, Aidan Foster-Carter, a Korea scholar at Leeds University in England, stated, "There is a chance that the summit will bring things forward. I don't believe that North Korea can't ever change." (Lorien Holland, "NORTH KOREA: NO PARADISE," Shanghai, May 25, 2000)
Oxford Analytica reported that despite some reported improvement last year, the DPRK economy remains in dire straits caused by a hesitancy to undertake reform which continues to deter potential investors and undermine grass-roots trends towards the development of a market economy.
The article argued that hesitancy on reform has blighted the DPRK's only special economic zone at Rajin- Sonbong, and that it is not clear that the DPRK has yet reached the bottom. It argued that claims by some observers in the ROK that the economy grew by up to 3 percent in 1999 seem unsupported by trends in trade, where volumes with both main partners continued to fall by more than 10 percent last year. It argued that the DPRK economic plight presents both a challenge for the DPRK and an opportunity for those, such as the ROK, wishing to develop closer relations. In 1999, DPRK trade with the ROK rose 50 percent to US$333 million, making the ROK the DPRK's third-largest partner. Excluding aid, the total was US$189 million, with a balance in the DPRK's favor of US$54 million. The article argued that it would take only a few small deals to double or triple this figure, and - providing there is sufficient political will - there is no reason in principle why it should not grow to far higher volumes of trade and investment than that between the PRC and Taiwan. ("NORTH KOREA: ECONOMIC PLIGHT," 5/9/00)
Joongnang Ilbo reported that in the past few years the DPRK has exhibited a more flexible agricultural policy. Farmers now have the right to choose which crops to plant while respecting the slogan of "a right place and a right time to plant." The DPRK's emphasis on corn farming, which accounted for a third of the nation's crops, has weakened. The importance of potato farming has recently been emphasized. Kim Hak-chul, the DPRK consul at Sunyang, PRC, confirmed in an interview with a newspaper in Jilin, China, on April 21 that "the government revised the system to distribute the surplus agricultural products voluntarily within the work squad." The main agricultural focus in the DPRK is now potato farming and double-cropping. The DPRK government is trying to develop fertilizers that use microorganisms in order to resolve the shortage of chemical fertilizers. In addition, 324 fish farms were constructed to provide a sufficient amount of protein to DPRK residents. The large-scale re-arrangement of farmland is one of the most important aspects of the ongoing agricultural reformation. Joongnang Ilbo (Jung Chang-hyun, "AGRICULTURAL REVOLUTION IN NORTH KOREA," Seoul, 04/26/00)
The report also said that the flights would mostly carry tourists, but that cargo flights carrying foods from the DPRK such as matsutake and shiitake mushrooms also would be authorized following a request by the airline. The report added that the Japanese government suspended charter flights between Japan and the DPRK due to the DPRK's alleged launch of a Taepodong missile in September 1998, which jeopardized the safety of flights operated by private Japanese airlines. The Daily Yomiuri ("TRANSPORT MINISTRY OK'S N. KOREAN CHARTER FLIGHTS," 04/27/2000)
Pyongyang, April 5 (KCNA) -- The first plane with Shenyang-bound passengers aboard left the Pyongyang International Airport today for regular flight. The Pyongyang-Shenyang regular air service has opened under the agreement on air transport between the governments of the DPRK and China. The newly opened service will promote travellers' convenience. eparture from Pyongyang is at 11:50 every Wednesday and arrival at Shenyang 12:30 ( 11:30 local time) and departure from Shenyang at 16:10 ( 15:10 local time ) and arrival at Pyongyang at 16:50.
Joongang Ilbo reported that businesses that have economic interests in the DPRK, which include Samsung and Hyundai, will delay some of their individual ventures in the DPRK until after the inter-Korean summit in June.
Hyundai Corporation announced that honorary president Chung Ju-yung is planning to visit the DPRK after the summit. Samsung Electronics also cancelled its plans to hold its electronic products exhibition in the DPRK at the end of May. The entrepreneurs who came from the DPRK with the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), including Chang Chi-hyeok, president of Kohab, decided to postpone their plans to visit and to invest in the DPRK until after the summit. Joongang Ilbo (Kim Si-rae, "BUSINESS VENTURES IN NORTH KOREA ON HOLD UNTIL THE SUMMIT ENDS," Seoul, 04/26/00)
Joongang Ilbo and Chosun Ilbo reported that Union Community, a company that is helping separated ROK families find their relatives, announced on April 25 that it and Hanvit Bank will handle money transfers and wiring fees for separated families seeking and sending money to relatives in the DPRK.
Families in the ROK wishing to know the well-being of relatives in the DPRK can deposit money at Hanvit Bank, which will send it to the Pyongyang Koryo Commercial Bank account of the Mount Kumkang International Group through the mediation of the Hong Kong branch of the Dutch Rabo Bank. The DPRK side will take out the money if the DPRK families' whereabouts are confirmed. The cost to look for one's family (for parents, sisters, and brothers) is US$500 basic work process fee regardless of the total number of people, plus about a US$650 agency fee, including the insurance fee. Joongang Ilbo (Shin Ye-ri, "HANVIT BANK TO START WIRING MONEY TO SEPARATED FAMILIES IN NORTH KOREA," Seoul, 04/25/00) and Chosun Ilbo (Kim In-gu, "MONEY TRANSFER TO NK ALLOWED," Seoul, 04/25/00)
The Los Angeles Times reported that, in contrast to earlier portrayals in the ROK of DPRK leader Kim Jong-il as a "reckless playboy," ROK officials and analysts now describe Kim as pragmatic, prudent and knowledgeable. An unnamed senior ROK official said that Kim is believed to have a genius-level IQ of 150 or 160.
The official stated, "Previous governments postulated Kim Jong Il as a wacko, but researchers tell us, 'No, Kim Jong Il is very talented.'" An unnamed intelligence source described him as a "computer wizard" who uses the Internet, is fascinated with new technologies, and is determined to develop the DPRK's software industry. An unnamed ROK scholar said that although Kim has not left the DPRK since succeeding his father in 1994, he is extremely well-informed about world affairs and reportedly watches a satellite television system in his office tuned to ROK TV. [Ed. note: This article was included as a Top Story in the US Department of Defense's Early Bird news service for April 21, 2000.] The Los Angeles Times (Sonni Efron, "SOUTH KOREA SEES A NEW SIDE OF NORTH'S KIM," Seoul, 4/21/00)
China Daily reported that ROK economists said on March 22 that
the DPRK economy registered
positive growth in 1999 for the first time in 10 years. The DPRK's gross
domestic product (GDP) grew by up to 3 percent last year, the Korea Economic
Daily said in a survey of research institutes in Seoul. It said that the
rebound from a 10-year contraction since 1990 was propelled by steady foreign
aid and a recovery in agricultural and manufacturing output.
"The rebound reflects a shift in economic policy to pragmatism and an inflow of foreign aid," Cho Myong-chul of the (ROK) Korea Institute for International Economic Policy said. "Last year's growth was a technical rebound. But I believe the DPRK economy will grow further this year and next year," he said.China Daily ("DPRK'S ECONOMY ON THE UP," Seoul, P6, 03/23/00)
See more in the NORTHEAST ASIA PEACE AND SECURITY NETWORK SPECIAL REPORT "North Korea: Is Aid the Answer?" by Erich and Marilyn Weingartner (December 13, 1999)
Challenges and Prospects in North Korean Problems by Won-Ki Choi Editor Researcher The Joong-ang Daily (December 29, 1999)