NAPSNet Daily Report
 
thursday, october 24, 2002
Navigation
 
CONTENTS

I. United States

*  

Policy Forum Online:
Bush Administration's Asia Policy

Special Reports

Week in Review

South Asian Nuclear Dialogue

Nuclear Policy Project Flash

Ethical Governance Of Investment Biweekly Update


Browse Past Reports:
* Preceding Daily Report
* Daily Report Archive
* Search Daily Reports:


Email Services:
* Signup for Email Delivery
* Latest Report Emailed Now
* Send Comments
* Daily Report Credits


I. United States


next itemcontentscontacts

1. DPRK Nuclear Issue

The Washington Post, (Doug Struck, "N. KOREA BACKS AWAY FROM DIPLOMACY," Tokyo, 10/31/02) reported that the DPRK halted its recent moves toward conciliatory diplomacy at talks this week with Japan and set the stage for confrontation with the outside world over its program to develop a nuclear bomb. In two days of talks, the DPRK refused to dismantle its nuclear program without direct negotiations with the US and balked at reuniting with their parents the children of five released kidnap victims who are in Japan on a "visit." By refusing to negotiate with Japan over its nuclear program, the DPRK shunned a diplomatic route that could have defused a potential showdown with the US. The DPRK has instead demanded talks on the nuclear issue solely with the US. The Bush administration has said it will not negotiate with the DPRK. Japanese negotiators acknowledged disappointment in the deadlock at the end of the talks tonight. "Although we made utmost efforts, to our regret, we failed to secure a change in their position," Japan's chief negotiator, Katsunari Suzuki, told reporters. [This Washington Post article originally appeared in the US Defense Department's Early Bird News Summary.]

The Korean Central News Agency ("KCNA REFUTES US CLAIM FOR SCRAPPING DPRK'S 'NUCLEAR WEAPONS PROGRAM,'" Pyongyang, 10/31/02) carried a story that said, US high-ranking authorities reportedly called on the DPRK to scrap its nuclear weapons program, asserting that the US would not resume talks with the DPRK and calling for putting international pressure upon it under the pretext of its nuclear issue. The DPRK can not but clarify its resolute and principled stand on the issue as the US is disclosing its bellicose attempt to drive the military situation on the Korean Peninsula to a nuclear showdown, far from opting to improve the DPRK-US relations. The US is misrepresenting the situation as if the DPRK had breached the DPRK-US agreed framework. But the stark reality proves that the assertion is nothing but sheer sophism. The Bush administration has pursued a hostile policy to stifle the DPRK by force. The US is chiefly to blame for reducing to dead documents all international agreements and conventions, including the DPRK-US Agreed Framework (AF), the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT), and the north-south joint declaration on denuclearization. It is foolhardy of the US to calculate that it can destroy the DPRK's powerful armed forces whose offensive and defensive means are more powerful than when the AF was released in 1994. If the US continues turning down our proposal and posing nuclear threats to the DPRK, the latter will be left with no option but to take a corresponding measure. The US assertion will only spark a new clash.


next itemprev. itemcontentscontacts

2. Japan on DPRK Talks

Agence France-Presse ("JAPANESE PRESS LAMBASTS NORTH KOREAN STANCE," 10/31/02) reported that the Asahi Shimbun carried an editorial that read "This marks the first real negotiations since Prime Minister (Junichiro) Koizumi visited North Korea, and there was plenty to indicate that choppy waters lie ahead. North Korea's response raises doubts about how serious it is about carrying out the content of the Pyongyang Declaration," it said, referring to a joint statement signed by Koizumi and North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il last month. Two days of bureaucrat-level talks between the sides ended in discord in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday as the DPRK rebuffed Japan's requests about its nuclear weapons program and the families of Japanese citizens kidnapped to the DPRK. DPRK officials said a solution to the nuclear issue lies only in talks with the US and dismissed the kidnapping matter as "almost settled." The country meanwhile pressed for talks for reparations for Japan's wartime colonial rule of the Korean peninsula.


next itemprev. itemcontentscontacts

3. DPRK Missile Tests

The Associated Press (John J. Lumpkin, "US EYES N. KOREA ON MISSILE TESTS," Washington, 10/31/02) reported that US intelligence is watching for signs that the DPRK will conduct a flight test of a ballistic missile capable of delivering a nuclear warhead to US soil. The missile, the Taepo Dong 2, is far enough along in development that intelligence agencies believe the DPRK could launch one in a test fairly quickly. For now, US intelligence officials say they have no evidence that the DPRK is preparing for such a test. The US is concerned about evidence which indicates the DPRK is continuing its development of long-range missiles, Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish, head of the Pentagon's Missile Defense Agency, said Thursday. A deployed weapon, while somewhat further off, would threaten the continental US and probably hasten US efforts to deploy a missile defense system. The DPRK may also sell it to other countries, including Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Libya and Egypt, as they have many of their other long-range missiles.


next itemprev. itemcontentscontacts

4. US Missile Defense

The Associated Press (Matt Kelley, "MISSILE DEFENSE CHIEF: US NEEDS MORE ANTI-MISSILE ROCKETS," Washington, 10/31/02) reported that the US Defense Department needs more anti-missile rockets as it prepares for possible military action against Iraq, the head of the Missile Defense Agency said Thursday. Lt. Gen. Ronald Kadish said that the US has only about 40 of its most advanced Patriot missiles to defend against short-range ballistic and cruise missiles. Experts suspect Iraq alone has several times that many Scud and other short-range missiles, which could be topped with chemical or biological warheads. Kadish said he would like to have many more of the advanced Patriots to counter threats from the DPRK, Iran and Libya as well as Iraq. The main contractors on the latest Patriot, known as Patriot Advanced Capability 3, can make two of the rockets per month, Kadish said. The Pentagon hopes to speed up that process, but doing so will take time, he said. "My recommendation is to buy PAC-3s as fast as we are able to buy them," Kadish told reporters. Outside experts estimate each rocket costs about US$170 million, although that cost drops as the production increases. Congress has already approved increasing PAC-3 production, adding US$50 million to the US$622 million the Pentagon originally requested for the program for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1. Pentagon officials have notified Congress they plan to shift another US$120 million from other missile defense programs to the PAC-3. The PAC-3 program was plagued by failures in tests earlier this year. Some missiles would not fire and others missed their targets. Kadish called the problems "extremely annoying" and said they included improper soldering of electronic components. "I am very confident we have those problems fixed," Kadish said.


next itemprev. itemcontentscontacts

5. Japan-DPRK Abduction Issue

The Associated Press (Kenji Hall, "JAPAN ASKED NORTH KOREA TO CLARIFY STATUS OF MISSING ABDUCTEES, WILL CONTINUE BATTLE FOR ABDUCTEES' CHILDREN," Tokyo, 10/31/02) reported that a day after talks with the DPRK ended in acrimony, a Japanese official said he had asked the DPRK's delegates to clarify details about eight missing Japanese abducted decades ago by spies from the DPRK. Akitaka Saiki, a member of Japan's delegation, told families of Japanese abduction victims that he had given the DPRK a list of more than 100 questions, to be answered within a week, according to lawmaker Katsuei Hirasawa, who attended the meeting Thursday. Japan's delegation leader Katsunari Suzuki, who also briefed the families, promised to press the DPRK to set a date for handing over the seven children, Hirasawa said at a news conference. Two days of wrangling over the abductees' fate and the DPRK's nuclear weapons program ended in disagreement Wednesday at high-level in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The two sides also remained divided over a possible visit by the abductees' children, with the DPRK balking at setting a date. Both sides indicated an intention to meet again, although they didn't agree on dates.


next itemprev. itemcontentscontacts

6. US Domestic Politics

The Washington Times (Bill Gertz, "LAWMAKERS ASK BUSH TO END ACCORD," 10/31/02) and the Associated Press ("LAWMAKERS ASK BUSH FOR TOUGH LINE ON NORTH KOREA," Washington, 10/30/02) reported that five members of Congress yesterday urged President Bush to scrap the 1994 nuclear agreement with the DPRK because of the DPRK's recent admission that it had a covert nuclear arms program. "First and foremost, it seems that since North Korea's covert nuclear program is a blatant violation of the Agreed Framework, the accord is nullified," the lawmakers said in a letter sent to the White House. "In that regard, we strongly believe that the US should cease support for the Korean Energy Development Organization [KEDO], and that US fuel-oil shipments should be permanently terminated." The letter was signed by Senators Jon Kyl, Arizona Republican; Jesse Helms, North Carolina Republican; and Robert C. Smith, New Hampshire Republican. In the House, Reps. Christopher Cox, California Republican, and Edward J. Markey, Massachusetts Democrat. "We see no viable alternative given the proven failure of subsidizing North Korea and of relying upon that country's promises," they stated. The lawmakers called for "a change in the regime" and to that end, pushed "ending all subsidies, dramatically increasing Radio Free Asia broadcasting, and announcing a policy of temporary first asylum for people seeking to flee North Korea." [This Washington Times article originally appeared in the US Defense Department's Early Bird News Summary.]


next itemprev. itemcontentscontacts

7. ROK on DPRK Nuclear Issue

Reuters (Paul Eckert, "SOUTH SEES LONG WAY TO GO ON NORTH KOREA NUKES," Seoul, 10/31/02) reported that the ROK said on Thursday it was confident there would be a diplomatic solution to the problem of the DPRK's nuclear weapons, but acknowledged that it was still early days in the impasse with the DPRK. ROK President Kim Dae-jung's chief spokeswoman reiterated Kim's demand a day earlier that the DPRK take "verifiable action" to defuse a crisis raised by its recently unveiled covert nuclear arms program. Seoul would proceed with diplomacy with the unanimous backing Kim had won at an Asia-Pacific summit last weekend in Mexico, spokeswoman Park Sun-sook told reporters. "There is an agreement on the route to resolving the North Korean nuclear problem," Park said. "There is a long road ahead of us. Verifiable action by North Korea is necessary," she added.


next itemprev. itemcontentscontacts

8. Russia on DPRK Nuclear Issue

The Associated Press ("RUSSIA CHANGES COURSE ON NORTH KOREA, CRITICIZING EXPRESSING DISSATISFACTION OVER PYONGYANG'S 'AMBIGUOUS' EXPLANATIONS OF NUCLEAR PROGRAM," Moscow, 10/31/02) reported that in a change of course, Russia on Thursday accused the DPRK of being insufficiently forthcoming about its alleged nuclear weapons program, while the DPRK 's ambassador to Moscow defended its right to develop nuclear weapons. US Undersecretary of State John Bolton then traveled to Russia to present Russian officials with evidence of the alleged uranium enrichment program. Russia reacted with caution, saying it would like to independently check the information before making any definite conclusions. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov said that Moscow had received an explanation from the DPRK, Interfax reported. But he said it was insufficient. "There is some ambiguity in the statements by North Korean representatives," Losyukov was quoted as saying in an interview with the news agency. "In our view, such ambiguity is very dangerous because it leads to mutual suspicions and can negatively affect the situation on the Korean peninsula."


next itemprev. itemcontentscontacts

9. US-Japan-ROK Talks on DPRK Nuclear Issue

The Associated Press (Yoo Jae-suk, "WASHINGTON, TOKYO AND SEOUL TO DISCUSS FATE OF 1994 NUCLEAR AGREEMENT WITH NORTH KOREA," 10/31/02) and Reuters ("PENTAGON AIDE PLANS NUCLEAR TALKS IN KOREA," Washington, 10/31/02) reported that a senior Pentagon official will visit Japan and the ROK next week to discuss the DPRK's nuclear weapons program and other issues in the region, US defense officials said on Thursday. The officials told Reuters that Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith would depart Washington on Sunday or on Monday. Feith will talk with top officials in Tokyo and Seoul about rising tensions on the Korean peninsula. US officials did not discuss details, but one said Feith was also likely to exchange views on US plans to hold Defense Consultative Talks with the PRC in Beijing later this year or early next year. Despite recent calls from the DPRK for direct talks with the US, the US has ruled out negotiations with the DPRK until they dismantle the uranium enrichment program.


prev. itemcontentscontacts

10. DPRK Japan Summit Stamps

The Associated Press ("NORTH KOREA CASHES IN ON TALKS WITH JAPAN- SELLING STAMPS," Tokyo, 10/31/02) reported that its historic talks with Japan last month haven't yet led to warmer ties, but the DPRK is already planning to cash in on the negotiations - by printing postage stamps. The DPRK has begun selling thousands of stamps commemorating DPRK leader Kim Jong Il's September 17 summit with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, said Takeo Shimizu, president of the Japan Philatelic Agency, on Thursday. About 10,000 of the two-stamp sets will go to the Japan Philatelic Agency, a private stamp importer, for sale in Japan, Shimizu said. The company paid the DPRK about US$20,000 in cash, he said. The sale would provide the DPRK with hard currency it needs for its cash-strapped economy and its impoverished people. The 120-won and 150-won stamps show Koizumi and Kim shaking hands and signing a joint declaration at the first-ever summit between the Cold War rivals. Shimizu said he expects them to be a hit in Japan when they go on sale later this month, despite the deadlock after two days of high-level negotiations over establishing diplomatic relations that ended Wednesday. The company normally buys about 30 DPRK stamps in sets of 2,000 each year, he said. The Japan Philatelic Museum in Tokyo will also sell the stamps, marking the first time it will offer any from the DPRK. "Koizumi is drawn very stylishly. I think that people other than collectors will want this one," said Ryuta Tanabe, the museum's curator. The stamps will sell for 550 yen (US$4.47).



The NAPSNet Daily Report aims to serve as a forum for dialogue and exchange among peace and security specialists. Conventions for readers and a list of acronyms and abbreviations are available to all recipients. For descriptions of the world wide web sites used to gather information for this report, or for more information on web sites with related information, see the collection of other NAPSNet resources.
We invite you to reply to today's report, and we welcome commentary or papers for distribution to the network.

Produced by the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable Development in partnership with:

Ilmin Internationl Relations Institute
BK21 The Education and Research Corps for East Asian Studies
Department of Political Science, Korea University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Center for American Studies,
Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China

International Peace Research Institute (PRIME),
Meiji Gakuin University, Tokyo, Japan

Monash Asia Institute,
Monash University, Clayton, Australia

Brandon Yu: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

Timothy L. Savage: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

Kim Young-soo: yskim328@hotmail.com
Seoul, Republic of Korea

Hibiki Yamaguchi: hibikiy84@hotmail.com
Tokyo, Japan

Saiko Iwata: saiko@akira.ne.jp
Tokyo, Japan

Hiroya Takagi: hiroya_takagi@hotmail.com
Tokyo, Japan

Peter Razvin: icipu@online.ru
Moscow, Russian Federation

Wu Chunsi: cswu@fudan.ac.cn
Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Dingli Shen: dlshen@fudan.ac.cn
Shanghai, People's Republic of China

John McKay: John.McKay@adm.monash.edu.au
Clayton, Australia

 
Global Peace and Security Program Northeast Asia Peace and Security Network DPRK Renewable Energy Project Nuclear Policy Project Non-Nuclear NATO Network Related Nautilus Projects NAPSNet Special Reports NATO Flash Nuclear Policy Update South Asia Nuclear Dialogue Nautilus Institute Publications Policy Forum Online Signup for Nautilus Email Services Nautilus Research Kiosk Send Feedback Global Peace and Security Program Staff Nautilus Institute Home Energy, Security and Environment Globalization and Governance Youth/Pegasus Program Digital Library Search the Nautilus Site