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Northeast Asia Peace and Security Network DAILY REPORT For Thursday, April 9, 1998, from Berkeley, California, USA |
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IN TODAY'S REPORT: |
1. ROK-DPRK Talks
US State Department Spokesman James Rubin ("STATE DEPARTMENT NOON BRIEFING, APRIL 8,
1998," USIA Transcript, 04/08/98) stated that ROK President Kim Dae-jung met with US Under Secretary
of State Thomas Pickering to discuss the ROK economic situation and US and ROK policy towards the
DPRK. Regarding ROK-DPRK talks, he said, "As far as we're concerned, we have long supported a direct
dialogue between the South and the North, and this is fully consistent with the four-party talks that we're
trying to promote." He added that the US would like to see confidence-building measures discussed in
those talks, "and obviously there are a lot of humanitarian issues that could be discussed, and those would
be appropriately discussed in that channel." He added, "There are a myriad of ways that two countries that
have been so isolated in the past could begin to work out some of their problems through such
discussions." Rubin also stated, "The North Koreans are anxious to talk to us about these issues, and we
have no reason to believe their desire to talk to us is lessened or reduced by the possibility that they would
talk to the South.... And so the two are not inconsistent; in fact, they're complementary."
2. ROK Financial Crisis
Dow Jones Newswires (Chang Woo-hyuk, "IMF MISSION TO ARRIVE IN S. KOREA NEXT WK FOR
TALKS," Seoul 04/09/98) reported that officials at the ROK Ministry of Finance and Economy said
Thursday that the International Monetary Fund (IMF) will send a mission next week headed by IMF Asia-
Pacific mission chief Hubert Neiss to Seoul to discuss and review ROK economic policies. The 14-
member quarterly mission will offer new macroeconomic targets the country should pursue.
The New York Times (Kenneth N. Gilpin, "STRONG DEMAND FOR SOUTH KOREAN BONDS
BODES WELL," 04/09/98) and the Wall Street Journal (Gregory Zuckerman, "SUCCESS OF KOREAN
BOND DEAL SETS STAGE FOR MORE ASIAN BONDS," 04/09/98) reported that the ROK on
Wednesday successfully sold US$4 billion in government bonds. The huge demand was seen as an
indication of investor confidence that the ROK will surge back to prosperity in the next few years. The
ROK government announced Thursday that it would sell a further US$1 billion in bonds next month.
3. ROK Layoffs
The Associated Press ("S.KOREA'S BIGGEST CAR MAKER PLANS MASS LAYOFF," Seoul,
04/09/98) reported that Hyundai Motors, the ROK's largest carmaker, announced plans Thursday to cut its
30,000-person work force by 20 percent. Hyundai becomes the first major conglomerate to announce
layoffs since the ROK adopted a new labor law in February under pressure from the International
Monetary Fund. Hyundai's labor union called a protest rally for Friday, while the Confederation of Trade
Unions threatened nationwide strikes.
4. 2002 World Cup in ROK
The Los Angeles Times ("S. KOREA: 2002 WORLD CUP WILL STAY," Seoul, 04/08/98) reported that
Park Jin-bae, a spokesman for the ROK Office of Preparation for the 2002 FIFA World Cup, said
Wednesday that the ROK is confident it can meet all the requirements for hosting the 2002 soccer World
Cup, despite its current financial problems. Park stated, "The issue is what kind of a stadium in Seoul we
will use for opening and semifinals, not whether or not we will hold the World Cup." He added, "There are
no other problems. Everything else, including cooperation with the Japanese preparation office, is going
very well." The organizing committee downplayed a news report by the Times of London that the
Federation of International Football Association (FIFA) may move the 2002 World Cup to Britain if the
ROK abandons plans to build stadiums because of a prolonged economic crisis. The report came after
ROK Prime Minister Kim Jong-pil last week questioned the wisdom of building a soccer-only stadium in
Seoul, suggesting instead that an existing stadium be remodeled for the World Cup.
5. Taiwan Military Developments
Dow Jones Newswires ("TAIWAN TO FOCUS ON ELECTRONIC WARFARE, SURVEILLANCE -
REPORT," Taipei, 04/09/98) reported that Taiwan's Independence Evening News said Tuesday that
Taiwan will focus on upgrading its air force's surveillance and electronic warfare capabilities in the coming
year. The reported stated that the Defense Ministry's discretionary budget calls for improvements to its
single C-130HE electronic warfare plane to allow it to better intercept and jam signals from PRC armed
forces. The upgrade will be handled by the military's Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology.
The paper also said that the air force's four Grumman E-2T Hawkeye early-warning planes will be more
closely linked to military information networks, and RF-104 Starfighter reconnaissance planes will be
replaced by RF-5Es, former fighter jets converted by the air force. Other funds are earmarked for
purchases and development of new missiles, including the Hsiungfeng, or Brave Wind, III anti-ship cruise
missile designed to counter advanced warships ordered by the PRC. Funding will also be provided for
anti-ballistic missile defenses.
6. Russian-Japan Economic Cooperation
Agence France-Presse ("RUSSIA PROPOSES NINE JOINT PROJECTS WITH JAPAN," Tokyo 04/08/98)
reported that the Japanese newspaper Nihon Keizai Shimbun said Thursday that Russia has proposed nine
joint projects with Japan in far eastern Russia, offering to provide government guarantees for up to 40
percent of Japanese loans and investment. Japanese Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto and Russian
President Boris Yeltsin are expected to agree to promote joint development in the Russian Far East when
they meet later this month. The proposed projects include a hydroelectric power plant in Amur Province,
an airport on Sakhalin Island, coal mine development in Khabarovsk District and Primorskij, and a mine
project in Chita Province. Russia made the proposal in a series of business and governmental meetings last
month in Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk on the far eastern Russian island of Sakhalin. Meanwhile, the Mainichi
Shimbun said that Japan was likely to accept Russia's proposal to jointly develop the disputed Kuril
islands. Hashimoto is expected to announce the move during Yeltsin's visit to Tokyo, scheduled from
April 18. Although details have yet to be worked out, Japan is considering providing support to
infrastructure development on the islands.
7. British Veterans Protest Japanese War Crimes
The Associated Press ("BRITISH EX-POWS PROTEST AT EMBASSY," London, 04/08/98) and Reuters
("UK MOVE TO HONOUR JAPANESE EMPEROR SPARKS PROTESTS," London, 04/09/98) reported
that a dozen former British prisoners of war marched to Japan's embassy in London on Wednesday to
demand an apology and compensation for atrocities committed during World War II. The group vowed to
continue pressing their views in the weeks before Japanese Emperor Akihito's visit to Britain scheduled for
next month. Arthur Titherington, chairman of the Japanese Labour Camp Survivors Association, told a
British newspaper that his group was outraged by Queen Elizabeth's decision to award Emperor Akihito
with the "Order of the Garter," Britain's highest honor for chivalry. The three previous Japanese emperors
have also received the award.
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The Center for International Studies,
Yonsei
University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
The Center for Global Communications, Tokyo,
Japan
Center for American
Studies,
Fudan University, Shanghai, People's
Republic of China
Berkeley, California, United States
Berkeley, California, United States
Seoul, Republic of Korea
Seoul, Republic of Korea
Tokyo, Japan
Moscow, Russian Federation
Shanghai, People's Republic of China
Shanghai, People's Republic of China