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Northeast Asia Peace and Security Network DAILY REPORT For Tuesday, July 28, 1998, from Berkeley, California, USA |
1. Light-Water Reactor Project
The Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO) distributed
the following press release ("KEDO EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING," 07/28/98):
"The Executive Board members of the Korean Peninsula Energy Development
Organization (KEDO) the European Union, Japan, the Republic of Korea
and the United States reached agreement, ad referendum, today on cost
sharing arrangements for the Light Water Reactor Project which KEDO is
carrying out in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). During
the meeting, the Executive Board members also agreed to revise the budget
estimate for the project to $4.6 billion to reflect exchange rate changes
and discussed other issues. The original budget estimate agreed in
November 1997 was $5.18 billion. These agreements will be adopted by the
Executive Board following approval by respective capitals."
2. US Naval Deployment near Korean Peninsula
US State Department Spokesman James Rubin ("STATE DEPARTMENT NOON
BRIEFING, JULY 27, 1998," USIA Transcript, 07/27/98) said that the US
announced last week that it would dispatch naval assets to waters off the
coast of the Korean Peninsula to support ROK efforts to detect
infiltrators, in response to recent incidents of DPRK infiltration.
Rubin stated, "We have raised these incidents through the Military
Armistice Commission, and we urge the DPRK to refrain from actions that
violate the armistice. We wouldn't be in this situation if they hadn't
taken actions that did violate the armistice."
3. DPRK Diplomacy
The Associated Press ("N. KOREA TO REPLACE AMBASSADOR TO THAILAND -NEWS
AGENCY," Seoul, 07/28/98) reported that the DPRK's official Pyongyang
Radio said Tuesday that the government has decided to replace its
ambassador to Thailand, Ri Sam-ro. Pyongyang Radio did not say who would
replace Ri.
4. ROK-Russian Spy Row
The Associated Press (Laurinda Keys, "RUSSIA, SKOREA SETTLE SPY DISPUTE,"
Manila, 07/28/98) reported that Russian Foreign Minister Yevgeny Primakov
and ROK Foreign Minister Park Chung-soo on Tuesday settled a diplomatic
row over spying. Primakov said that the ROK agreed to allow the return
of a Russian diplomat who had been expelled from the ROK until "his
replacement arrives in the near future." Russian Foreign Ministry
spokesman Vladimir Rakhmanin said that the ROK diplomat charged with
spying will not return to Moscow "because he was caught red-handed."
Primakov said the two nations would now arrange a visit to Moscow by
Park, with dates and the agenda to be determined later.
5. ROK Political Prisoners
The Associated Press ("S. KOREAN PARTY ASKS GOVT TO FREE MORE POLITICAL
PRISONERS," Seoul, 07/28/98) reported that the ROK Justice Ministry said
Tuesday that government officials have begun screening hundreds of
political prisoners for possible release in a planned amnesty in August.
However, human rights groups criticized the plan for requiring prisoners
to first sign a statement acknowledging past crimes and promising not to
violate ROK laws again. Nam Kyu-sun, secretary-general of the ROK human
rights group Minkahyup, stated, "The statement violates the freedom of
conscience and the freedom of silence." The ruling National Congress for
New Politics said Tuesday that it has submitted a list of 300 political
prisoners to be considered for release. The party also said it was
asking the government to free 900 ordinary prisoners and drop criminal
charges against 400 student activists and other dissidents being sought
by police.
6. ROK-PRC Trade
The Associated Press ("CHINA-S. KOREAN TRADE GROWS," Seoul, 07/28/98)
reported that the ROK's state-run Korea International Trade Association
said Tuesday that the PRC replaced Japan as the ROK's second largest
export market in the first half of the year. The US remained the top
market for ROK exports, with the ROK shipping US$11 billion worth of
goods to the US in the first six months of the year. ROK exports to the
PRC fell by 3.6 percent to US$6.28 billion, while shipments to Japan
dropped by 16.6 percent to US$6.16 billion. ROK exports to the three
major trading partners accounted for 34.7 percent of its total US$67.63
billion in exports in the six-month period.
7. PRC Military
The New York Times (Seth Faison, "CHINA'S MILITARY FORCE STILL PUNY BY
WORLD STANDARDS," Beijing, 07/28/98) reported that, according to a PRC
defense report issued Monday, the PRC's military budget was officially
less than US$10 billion in 1998. The figure is less than 4 percent of
the US budget and less than half of the ROK's. However, the figure did
not include the estimated 15,000 businesses controlled by the army or how
much they earn. Tai Ming-cheung, an expert on the PRC military who works
for the Hong Kong office of Kroll Associates, stated, "The Chinese don't
give very much away here. The real issue is that it's a symbolic
breakthrough just to release this kind of report."
8. US Military in Philippines
The Associated Press ("PHILIPPINE PROTESTORS CHALLENGE ACCORD WITH U.S.
MILITARY," Manila, 07/28/98) reported that about 50 people rallied Monday
in front of a hotel where US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was
holding talks with Southeast Asian countries, to protest a military
agreement between the Philippines and the US. The protesters accused
Albright of pressuring the Philippine government to allow the resumption
of joint military exercises. Earlier this year, US and Philippine
officials signed a visiting forces agreement allowing a resumption of
joint military exercises and providing certain legal protections to US
soldiers while in the Philippines. Critics say the agreement, which
requires ratification by the Philippine Senate, could shield US soldiers
from prosecution because of various loopholes. Albright said that she
discussed the agreement in a meeting with Philippines President Joseph
Estrada. She stated, "It is my understanding the government supports
this agreement and it is one that is viewed as mutually beneficial to
both countries." She added, "I think we have made statements all along
that our surface ships do not carry nuclear weapons."
9. Indian-Pakistani Talks
Reuters (John Chalmers, "NUCLEAR TESTS OVERSHADOW SOUTH ASIAN SUMMIT,"
Colombo, 07/28/98) and the Associated Press ("FORUM PROVIDES PLATFORM TO
ARCH-RIVALS INDIA, PAKISTAN," Colombo, 07/28/98) reported that Sri Lankan
Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar said that nuclearization of South
Asia would not be discussed during a regional meeting which began on
Tuesday. Kadirgamar stated, "I think wisdom lies in ... not having too
much political discussion in the region in this kind of body because
certain discussions of a political nature can be very divisive."
However, Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee said that he was
hopeful that his talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on the
sidelines of the summit would be fruitful. For his part, Sharif stated,
"It is time for the international community to encourage Pakistan's
efforts to defuse the security crisis in South Asia and promote a just
settlement of the Kashmir issue."
10. Detection of Nuclear Tests
Reuters ("NEW DEVICES WILL BETTER DETECT NUCLEAR TESTS," Washington,
07/28/98) reported that the US Department of Energy said Monday that US
government scientists have developed two devices that better detect
nuclear bomb blasts in other countries by searching the atmosphere for
traces of radioactive material. The devices will be placed around the
world and used to monitor adherence to the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban
Treaty. The department added that their development should encourage the
US Senate to ratify the treaty because nuclear explosions will be more
difficult to hide. It stated, "The two new detonation identification
devices represent a quantum leap beyond existing monitoring devices, with
greater sensitivity, full automation, near real-time reporting and novel
nuclear radiation detectors." One of the devices will analyze air
samples for radioactive particles that seep from underground nuclear
explosions, while the other device would detect aboveground nuclear
explosions. Information collected by the two devices and other
monitoring systems around the world will be sent to an international data
center temporarily located in Arlington, Virginia. A permanent center
will be built in Vienna, Austria as part of the test ban treaty.
11. Theater Missile Defense System
United Press International (Mike Billington, "LMMS TO PAY FOR FAILED
THAAD TESTS," Washington, 07/27/98) and the Associated Press (Laura
Myers, "CO. TO PAY $75M IF MISSILE FAILS," Washington, 07/28/98) reported
that Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space on Monday announced a cost-
sharing deal with the US Army under which the company must achieve three
direct missile-to-missile hits in the next five tests of its Theater High
Altitude Area Defense system or pay US$75 million. The next test, which
had been scheduled for August, will instead take place in November or
December, according to the Army. Air Force Lieutenant General Lester
Lyles, director of the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization, said that
the Army hoped to deploy a working system by 2006. Keith Bickel, a
defense spending expert with the Center for Strategic and Budgetary
Assessments, stated, "Lockheed, in its rush to deployment, did not do the
quality control and testing it ordinarily would have done. This haste is
causing many of the problems." Bickel called the US$75 million a "token
amount" of money compared with the US$3.2 billion the government has paid
Lockheed for developing the system.
The New York Times carried an opinion article by Richard L. Garwin, a
physicist and senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations (KEEPING
ENEMY MISSILES AT BAY," La Jolla, 07/28/98). Garwin stated that, as one
of the nine members of the commission that assessed the ballistic missile
threat to the US, "I am alarmed that some have interpreted our findings
as providing support for a new national missile defense system." He
said, "Should Iran or North Korea embark on a well-financed program and
make good use of technology and advice from Russia, China and from each
other, both these countries could build a few ICBM's within five years.
In the case of Iraq, it might take 10 years." However, he added, "No
defensive system under consideration can neutralize these threats. The
defense that is now being developed would not even detect, let alone
counter, ship-launched short-range missiles. Nor could the proposed
defense work against ICBM's that employ simple countermeasures." Garwin
argued, "The best way to defend against possible attack is to prevent
countries like North Korea, Iran and Iraq from getting these missiles in
the first place. If they obtain them anyway, they will be vulnerable to
a pre-emptive strike. Above all, they can be deterred from using these
weapons by the threat of major destruction in return." He concluded, "In
our concern with these emerging powers, we must remember that the only
real threat to our survival comes from Russia, which has thousands of
long-range nuclear warheads. We should try to eliminate this arsenal by
proposing the third stage in strategic arms reduction to encourage Russia
to ratify Start 2 and move on to Start 3."
1. DPRK Elections
DPRK leader Kim Jong-il has been elected to the country's parliament, an
announcement said Monday, setting the stage for him to become president
of the state. He was unanimously picked by voters in polls held Sunday
for deputies of the Supreme People's Assembly (SPA), the official Korea
Central News Agency (KCNA) said in a dispatch monitored in Seoul. "On
the basis of the results of the voting at constituency No. 666, the
central election committee announced that Kim Jong-il, the great leader
of the Korean Party and People and Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary
armed forces, was elected as deputy to the SPA," KCNA said. "By electing
him as deputy to the SPA, all the people and servicemen demonstrated
their unanimous desire and strong determination to accomplish the social
cause, undaunted by any adversity, under the wise guidance of the party
and the leader." (Korea Times, "NK REPORTS ELECTION OF KIM JONG-IL TO
PARLIAMENT," 07/28/98)
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