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Northeast Asia Peace and Security Network DAILY REPORT For Wednesday, August 26, 1998, from Berkeley, California, USA |
1. US-DPRK Talks
The Washington Post (Dana Priest, "U.S. WARNS N. KOREA ON SUSPECT
FACILITY," 08/26/98, A16) reported that US officials said that the US
told the DPRK during talks in New York that it strongly objects to the
underground construction of an alleged secret nuclear facility. The
officials added, however, that because the precise nature of the secret
installation is not known, the US does not intend to abandon the 1994
Agreed Framework. An unnamed senior official stated, "Terminating the
agreement gives them the ability to restart existing facilities, which
could begin producing nuclear weapons within months. These new ones will
take half a decade or more" to complete. Also during the talks, the US
delegation told the DPRK side that the US government is committed to the
agreed framework, including reconsidering sanctions against the DPRK and
delivering the promised fuel oil. The officials said that the talks were
suspended last night and that the US delegation was returning to
Washington for consultations. The article also said that on August 4, a
select US House of Representatives panel was briefed by top
administration officials on the construction. During the meeting, some
members reportedly accused Secretary of State Madeleine Albright of
misleading them about DPRK intentions.
2. DPRK Famine
Reuters ("STORMY WEATHER RUINS NORTH KOREAN CROPS," Geneva, 08/26/98)
reported that Marcel Fortier of the International Federation of Red Cross
and Red Crescent Societies said Tuesday that heavy weekend rains, hail,
and strong winds in the DPRK had destroyed corn crops and rice fields.
The UN World Food Program said that it was seeking permission from the
DPRK government to send a field mission to survey the damage.
3. ROK Labor Unrest
The Associated Press ("KOREA JOBLESS RATE AT 32-YEAR HIGH," Seoul,
08/26/98) reported that the ROK government said Wednesday that the
unemployment rate hit a 32-year high of 7.6 percent in July, with 1.65
million people out of work. Analysts predicted that the unemployment
rate will continue to rise, reaching 8 percent by year's end. ROK
Finance and Economy Minister Lee Kyu-sung predicted in a report to the
National Assembly Tuesday that the economy would contract by up to 6
percent this year, one percentage point lower than he had previously
forecast.
The Associated Press ("S. KOREA GOVT PLEDGES TO HALT INTERVENTION IN
LABOR DISPUTES," Seoul, 08/26/98) reported that ROK Labor Minister Lee
Ki-ho said Wednesday that the government will stay out of future labor
disputes. Lee stated, "The government mediated the Hyundai Motor
situation because a prolonged strike threatened to worsen the economic
crisis. In the future, the government will leave labor strikes to be
resolved by the union and management, and there will be no more direct
government intervention or mediation."
4. PRC Floods
The Associated Press (Charles Hutzler, "CHINA MOBILIZES TROOPS FOR FLOOD
AID," Beijing, 08/26/98) reported that the PRC's state-run Xinhua News
Agency said that PRC President Jiang Zemin ordered 178,000 soldiers and
police to be on top alert today to guard against further flooding from
the Yangtze River. The government meanwhile raised the official death
toll from the flooding from 2,000 to 3,004 people.
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