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Northeast Asia Peace and Security Network DAILY REPORT For Friday, December 11, 1998, from Berkeley, California, USA |
1. US-DPRK Talks
US State Department Deputy Spokesman (James B. Foley, "US-N. KOREA TALKS
ON SUSPECT UNDERGROUND CONSTRUCTION," Washington, USIA Text, 12/11/98)
announced that the US and the DPRK on Friday concluded their discussions
in New York on US suspicions about underground construction at
Kumchangni. Foley stated, "The talks were conducted in a serious
atmosphere. The US continued to require the complete resolution of our
concerns regarding the DPRK's suspect underground construction and has
made clear this will require access. Although gaps remain, the parties
approached the issues in a problem-solving manner. The two sides
recognized that progress was made and agreed to meet again as soon as
possible at a venue and date to be determined through the New York
channel."
The Associated Press ("U.S., N. KOREA END TALKS ON UNDERGROUND SITE STILL
AT ODDS," New York, 12/11/98) reported that DPRK Deputy Foreign Minister
Kim Gye-gwan said that "several problems" still remain over the US demand
for access to a DPRK underground construction site. Kim said that the
just-concluded US-DPRK talks in New York and Washington were "serious"
and had led to a better understanding of each side's concerns and in this
context there was "some progress." He added, "However, it's apparent
there are differences. We will continue to talk to solve these
differences." Kim stated, "There are some things we can give up and
there are some things we cannot give up. We cannot give up positions
related to some fundamental principles."
2. DPRK Famine
US State Department Deputy Spokesman Jim Foley ("STATE DEPT. NOON
BRIEFING, DEC. 10," Transcript, 12/11/98) said that it was based on the
independent findings of international aid agencies that the US determined
to donate an additional 300,000 metric tons of DPRK food aid to the World
Food Program's 1998 appeal. He added, "In light of the continuing
humanitarian need, we urge other nations to contribute as well." He
cited statements by congressional staffers who recently visited the DPRK
and by World Food Program officials as evidence that the food aid is
reaching its intended recipients. He added, however, "While monitor
access and the tempo of operations are improving, we would, of course,
like to see greater openness regarding the food situation. We would like
to see the number of monitors increased and their freedom of access
further expanded. We have made clear to the North Koreans the importance
of this matter; in fact, the DPRK recently issued visas to additional
World Food Program monitors and agreed to a 1999 PVO consortium program."
Foley said that, despite US disdain for the DPRK regime, "we have made it
very clear as a policy decision and as a reflection of what we stand for
as a people, that we're not going to impose political criteria when it
comes to helping to feed innocent people who are victims of some of the
... policies."
3. Remains of US Soldiers from Korean War
The US Department of Defense ("DEFENSE DEPARTMENT REPORT, DECEMBER 11,
1998," 12/11/98) reported that Department of Defense negotiators began
unaccounted-for remains recovery discussions with DPRK officials this
week in New York. The department stated, "These negotiations seek to
establish a schedule for 1999 in which US and North Korean teams will
jointly recover the remains of Americans missing in action from the
Korean War. This would mark the fourth consecutive year that US teams
have operated inside North Korea on remains recoveries."
The International Herald Tribune carried a letter from Robert L. Jones,
deputy assistant secretary of defense for POW/Missing Personnel Affairs
("A MISSION IN NORTH KOREA," Washington, 12/10/98, 11) in response to an
earlier opinion article by Ralph A. Cossa. [Ed. Note: See US Policy
toward DPRK, in the US Section of the December 4 Daily Report]. The
author argued that US efforts to separate the recovery of the remains of
US servicemen killed during the Korean War from other DPRK issues have
paid dividends. He stated, "Although we have stated that progress on
this issue contributes to the overall development of a relationship with
North Korea, we steadfastly resist being tied to talks on missiles and
nuclear facilities and to food aid. This separation of issues has
allowed our work in North Korea to continue virtually uninterrupted for
three years in spite of other crises that have arisen." He also noted,
"Our compensation formulas are straightforward. If we contract with
North Koreans for fuel, we pay for it. If we require the service of a
technical specialist, we pay."
4. DPRK Underground Construction
The Associated Press ("JAPAN WARNS N.KOREA ABOUT MISSILES," Tokyo,
12/11/98) reported that Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura warned
Friday that unless the DPRK clears up fears about its underground
construction sites, it would be difficult for the Japanese government to
gain support among Japanese citizens for the Korean Peninsula Energy
Development Organization (KEDO) project to build light-water reactors in
the DPRK. Komura stated, "KEDO is aimed at preventing nuclear
development, and it becomes meaningless" if the DPRK is really building a
nuclear facility.
5. US-Japanese Exercises
Reuters ("NORTH KOREA DENOUNCES U.S.-JAPAN EXERCISES," Tokyo, 12/11/98)
reported that the DPRK on Friday criticized the US for carrying out
military exercises with Japanese forces. The Korean Central News Agency
(KCNA) quoted a newspaper editorial as saying, "This indicates that a new
Korean war is hourly approaching and it is a matter of time when the war
will break out." The editorial added, "Since it is as clear as day that
the U.S. imperialists will unleash a new war any moment, we cannot but
prepare ourselves for a just revolutionary war to wipe out the aggressors
and win the final victory." It warned, "The Korean people's army and
people will defeat the aggressors by waging a most decisive battle for
revenge. A tiger moth is destined to perish in flame." The report did
not name the combined US-Japan military exercises it referred to.
6. PRC-Taiwan Diplomatic Rivalry
The Associated Press ("CHINA ENDS TIES WITH MARSHALL ISLES," Beijing,
12/11/98) reported that the PRC broke diplomatic ties with the Marshall
Islands on Friday, three weeks after the South Pacific nation formally
recognized the government of Taiwan. The PRC's ambassador to the
Marshall Islands, Zhao Lianyi, lodged a complaint with the Marshall
Islands government and announced that diplomatic relations were broken
effective Friday.
7. US Missile Defense
The Defense Daily (Frank Wolfe, "COHEN: PENTAGON WANTS TO KEEP 'THREE
PLUS THREE' FOR NMD," 12/11/98, 5) reported that US Defense Secretary
William Cohen said Thursday that the US Defense Department wants to
maintain its "three plus three" strategy for the National Missile Defense
(NMD) system. Cohen stated, "I intend to try to maintain the 'three plus
three' timetable. We want to make sure the testing that's done allows us
to proceed in good faith and also to reassure the Congress and the
country that we are pursuing a program that is technically sound and
feasible." Cohen added that the department is still studying the
configuration of NMD and the compliance of the system with the 1972 Anti-
Ballistic Missile Treaty with Russia. Defense Department sources said
that, under the revised "three plus three" strategy, a deployment
readiness review in 2001 would determine whether the technical maturity
of the program allowed it to move forward. Initial operational
capability would be pushed back until 2005, from the earlier date of
2003. The sources said that the department has to determine how to come
up with between US$5 billion and US$7.5 billion from 2000 to 2005 to pay
for the revised NMD schedule. Without increased spending authority, the
department may have to cut or cancel missile programs or look within
service budgets to fund NMD.
1. DPRK Diplomacy
JoongAng Ilbo ("DPRK REDUCES FOREIGN OFFICES," Seoul, 12/10/98) reported
that the "poverty-stricken" DPRK has eliminated 14 foreign offices in
1998 as of this month. A government source said on December 10, "The
DPRK has curtailed 30 percent of its foreign residences and now only 54
remain." At the same time, however, the DPRK established official
relations with South Africa in August and attracted 22 investment deals
from five countries: Romania, Malaysia, Czech Republic, Yugoslavia, and
Slovakia. The DPRK also appointed 25 new ambassadors including Russian
Ambassador Park Ui-chun.
2. DPRK Tourism
JoongAng Ilbo ("HYUNDAI PLANS ANOTHER GRAND DPRK TOUR," Seoul, 12/11/98)
reported that Hyundai plans to create another tour program along the same
lines as the Mt. Kumgang tour. Kim Yun-kyu, chairman of Hyundai Economic
Cooperation Project Team, said on December 11, "After the Mt. Kumgang
tour project settles in, we will develop another grand tour program
connecting Mt. Baekdu, Mt. Chilbo, Mt. Myohyang, and Pyongyang." Kim
continued, "The tour program connecting Mt. Kumgang with other famous
mountains in the DPRK was accepted by the DPRK during Honorary Chairman
Chung Ju-yung's first visit there in 1989. We confirmed that the
agreement was still valid." He added, "We will develop another roadway
to Mt. Kumgang to compliment the current sea route."
3. ROK Soldiers' Alleged Contacts with DPRK
Korea Times ("LIEUTENANT KIM'S DEATH BECOMING MURDER CASE," Seoul,
12/10/98) reported that the "mysterious" death of ROK Army 1st Lieutenant
Kim Hun at the truce village of Panmunjom is haunting the Armed Forces
and the country once again nearly 10 months after it occurred. The
latest revelations, made by a National Assembly special investigation
committee, raised the possibility that Kim was murdered and his killer
was his immediate subordinate officer, Sergeant First Class Kim Yong-hun,
who served as deputy of the late lieutenant in one of five guard platoons
in the UN Command (UNC) Security Battalion at the time. According to the
National Assembly members and military authorities, Sergeant Kim had
allegedly made contacts with DPRK guards, most of them being
psychological warfare specialists, on more than 30 occasions last year.
They said that on one occasion, the noncommissioned officer crossed the
Military Demarcation Line, a median line separating the UNC sector from
the DPRK-controlled area. ROK guards are not allowed to make any kinds
of contacts with their DPRK counterparts.
Korea Times ("UNC TO FULLY COOPERATE WITH ROK PROBE," Seoul, 12/11/98)
reported that the United Nations Command (UNC) said it will fully
cooperate with a new ROK military investigation into the death of 1st
Lieutenant Kim Hun by going so far as to put all available resources at
the ROK side's disposal, if necessary. During a telephone interview with
the Korea Times on Thursday, a US officer said that it is not true that
the UNC authorities have been reluctant to assist with the ROK military's
probe into the controversial case. "The UNC has been cooperative and
will continue to do all it can to support the investigation process. We
will fully cooperate with a new probe led by another ROK army general,"
he said. Some of the ROK military officials who testified before the
National Assembly's Defense Committee last week provided the excuse that
a thorough probe into 1st Lieutenant Kim's case was exceedingly difficult
as a result of the fact that his death took place in the UNC-controlled
Joint Security Area at the truce village of Panmunjom. The US military
official denied this claim, contending that the UNC fully cooperated with
both previous ROK investigations.
4. ROK-Japan Fishery Agreement
Chosun Ilbo ("GNP TO OPPOSE FISHERY AGREEMENT," Seoul, 12/10/98) reported
that the opposition Grand National Party (GNP) announced Thursday that it
will strongly oppose ratification of the ROK-Japan fishery agreement to
be brought to the National Assembly by the Unification, Diplomacy and
Trade Commission next Monday. GNP representative Lee Shin-bom said that
the accord places the Tokdo islets in an intermediary zone, thereby
weakening the ROK's claim of sovereignty. He added that this was a
deliberate manipulative strategy by the Japanese negotiators and unless
the government agrees to strongly reaffirm its stance on the issue and
provide adequate compensation to fishermen, the party would refuse
endorsement.
5. ROK Election Scandal
JoongAng Ilbo ("LEE HOI-SUNG ARRESTED FOR ILLEGAL FUND RAISING," Seoul,
12/10/98) reported that the prosecutor's office arrested Lee Hoi-sung,
younger brother of opposition Grand National Party (GNP) president Lee
Hoi-chang, on December 10. He was charged with collecting illegal
political funds from chaebol groups. The prosecutors contend that he
pressured Tax Administration Agency (TAA) members during last year's
presidential election to solicit the money from the conglomerates. A
source from the prosecutor's office commented, "We felt that he would
attempt to remove all the evidence related with the case and not appear
in court so we decided to seize him now." According to the source, last
November 1997 Lee telephoned his high school junior Lee Seok-hee, who at
the time was the deputy president of the TAA, and strongly urged him to
use the agency to collect money for his brother. He is charged with
receiving the equivalent of US$800,000 in the Lotte Hotel parking lot on
one particular occasion and collected more than the equivalent of US$10
million from 20 different companies in total. The prosecutors
investigated Lee last September but soon released him. President Kim
Dae-jung personally ordered another investigation into the matter.
Korea Herald ("OPPOSITION BLASTS RULING PARTY," Seoul, 12/11/98) reported
that the opposition Grand National Party (GNP) accused the government and
its party of attempting to break up the opposition party when the
prosecution arrested the party leader's brother Thursday. Lee Hoi-sung
was suspected of having mobilized top tax officials to raise campaign
funds for opposition leader Lee Hoi-chang when he was running for the
presidency last year. His arrest followed the passage of the government
budget bill through the National Assembly on Wednesday. The GNP withdrew
its lawmakers when the bill was put to vote. Representative Ahn Taik-
soo, spokesman of the GNP, claimed the government and the ruling National
Congress for New Politics (NCNP) are attempting to link the mobilization
of tax officials in the fund-raising to GNP leader Lee under their plan
to dissolve the party. "Lee Hoi-sung has maintained he was not involved
in raising funds with the help of tax officials, and there is no evidence
of his involvement," Ahn said. "We know what it meant when Lee Hoi-sung
was arrested as soon as the budget bill was passed." The NCNP and its
coalition partner, the United Liberal Democrats (ULD), refused to make
any official comment on the arrest in an apparent move not to anger the
opposition any further. They are worried that the arrest will strain
their relations with the opposition as they try to pass other bills
through the National Assembly before the current regular session finishes
next Friday.
1. US and Russian Nuclear Subcritical Tests
The Yomiuri Shimbun (Ryuichi Otsuka, "US POSTPONES NUCLEAR SUBCRITICAL
TEST," Washington, 12/11/98) reported that US Department of Energy
announced that it will postpone again a planned nuclear subcritical test,
which would be the fifth of its kind. The department said that a system
to analyze data on the experiment had had a technical problem and the
test had been previously postponed to December 10, but the department's
inability to fix the system forced the department to postpone the test
again.
The Yomiuri Shimbun ("RUSSIA CONDUCTS NUCLEAR SUBCRITICAL TEST," Moscow,
12/10/98) and the Asahi Shimbun ("RUSSIA CONDUCTS NUCLEAR SUBCRITICAL
TEST," Moscow, 12/10/98) reported that Russia's nuclear authorities
conducted a nuclear subcritical test in a northern island on December 8.
According to the Yomiuri report, Russia has conducted the tests yearly
since 1995. The Asahi Shimbun added that although both Russia and the US
are signatories to the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), they
maintain that subcritical tests do not violate the treaty.
2. Japanese-ROK Fishery Agreement
The Asahi Shimbun ("JAPAN-ROK FISHERY AGREEMENT IS APPROVED ON DECEMBER
11: STOCK FROM WATER SURROUNDING TAKESHIMA/TOKDO REMAINS TO BE
DISCUSSED," 12/11/98) reported that a new fishery agreement between Japan
and the ROK will be approved at a Lower House plenary session on December
11 and will come into effect on January 23, 1999. The agreement aims to
revise the existing agreement according to the UN Law of the Sea that
became effective in 1994 and to establish a tentative area surrounding
the disputed Takeshima/Tokdo islets where both Japanese and ROK
governments claim sovereignty. The agreement also shelves the
territorial issue between the two countries, and both governments will
establish a committee to discuss allocation of fishery stocks and rule of
operation. Although the newly established area will reduce the existing
stock on the part of Japanese fisher people, the Japanese government
already included 269 billion yen as compensation in the third
supplementary budget under the name of fishery promotion for the fisher
people who have been opposed to the new agreement.
3. Japanese-Russian Relations
The Yomiuri Shimbun ("JAPANESE-RUSSIAN COMMITTEE ON DELIMITATION TO MEET
ON JANUARY 21," 12/10/98) reported that the Japanese and Russian
governments met in Tokyo on December 9 and agreed to hold the first
meetings of the Committee on Delimitation and the Committee on Economic
Activities on January 21, 1999. These committees aim to facilitate
achieving the goals of Japanese-Russian peace treaty negotiations. Both
sides reaffirmed their policy to "do their best to conclude a peace
treaty by the year 2000." Russia also gave a detailed explanation as to
the proposal on the territorial issue that President Boris Yeltsin had
stated during the recent Japanese-Russian summit meeting. Although both
governments have not announced the nature of the proposal so far, the
report said that the governments may conclude a treaty to deal with the
territorial issue separately from a peace treaty. The report added that
Japan did not clarify its view on the proposal during the meeting.
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International Policy Studies Institute
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The Center for Global Communications, Tokyo, Japan
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Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
Berkeley, California, United States
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Seoul, Republic of Korea
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