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Latest Policy Forum: The Kumchangni Inspection and Perry's Visit to North Korea
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I. United States1. DPRK-US Talks The Associated Press (Tara Suilen Duffy, "NORTH KOREA, SOUTH KOREA MEET AGAIN," Beijing, 06/22/99) reported that Charles Kartman, the top US official on DPRK affairs, arrived in Beijing on Tuesday for talks with DPRK Vice Foreign Minister Kim Gye-gwan on US-DPRK bilateral issues. Kartman and Kim will meet on Wednesday and Thursday to discuss the inspection that US experts conducted last month at the DPRK underground construction site at Kumchangri, upcoming peace talks with the ROK, and the recent naval confrontation in the Yellow Sea. 2. DPRK-ROK Talks The Associated Press ("NAVAL CLASH MARS TALKS BETWEEN S. KOREA, N. KOREA," Beijing, 06/22/99) and Reuters ("NORTH KOREANS START TALKS WITH SOUTH AFTER DELIVERY OF AID," Beijing, 06/22/99) reported that the ROK and the DPRK held a vice-ministerial level meeting in Beijing on Tuesday. According to ROK Vice-Minister of Unification Ministry Yang Yong-shik, the talks showed only modest progress. Yang, who is head of the ROK delegation, stated, "In the meeting today, the two sides exchanged basic positions and exchanged opinions on the issues of separated families, the implementation of the basic agreement and the incident in the West (Yellow) Sea." Yang added that both sides "repeated the positions they held before the talks" on the naval confrontation. Yang also said that he had put forward a specific plan "for finding out the fate" of families and means of putting survivors in touch with each other, but gave no details. Yang said that the two sides would talk by telephone later in the day to set a time for a second round of talks. 3. DPRK View of DPRK-ROK Talks Reuters ("NORTH KOREANS START TALKS WITH SOUTH AFTER DELIVERY OF AID," Beijing, 06/22/99) reported that the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) quoted Park Young-soo, head of the DPRK delegation to the Beijing talks, as saying, "We accused the South in talks of infiltrating the North and taking the adventurous line of unleashing a new war on the Korean peninsula." KCNA also quoted Park as saying that because of the tensions in the Yellow Sea, "desirable results" can not be expected from the talks. The Associated Press ("NAVAL CLASH MARS TALKS BETWEEN S. KOREA, N. KOREA," Beijing, 06/22/99) reported that, according to a Korean News Central Agency (KCNA) report, the DPRK delegation to the Beijing talks conditioned its appearance at another meeting on the ROK making "full preparations" to apologize immediately for last week's naval confrontation. ROK Embassy spokesman Han Jae-heuk said he knew nothing of the KCNA report. 4. UNC-DPRK Talks The Associated Press ("U.N. COMMAND, N. KOREA END BORDER TALKS," Seoul, 06/22/99) reported that generals from the United Nations Command (UNC) and the DPRK ended a meeting on Tuesday without agreement on ways of avoiding further armed clashes in the Yellow Sea. UNC spokesman Colonel Carl Kropf said that the meeting at Panmunjom focused on the recent naval confrontation in the Yellow Sea. Kropf stated, "The primary objective of the meeting was to reduce tension. The talks were frank, open and useful to both sides." Kropf also said that the UNC proposed that ships from both Koreas honor a UN imposed sea border and improve communications to avoid further clashes. 5. DPRK View on Northern Limit Line The Associated Press ("U.N. COMMAND, N. KOREA END BORDER TALKS," Seoul, 06/22/99) reported that the DPRK refused to recognize the UN imposed border at the UNC meeting. According to the DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the DPRK renewed its claim to the disputed waters and warned the ROK and the US not to intrude into its territorial waters. KCNA quoted DPRK Lieutenant General Ri Chan-bok as saying at the meeting, "If the U.S. forces' side infiltrates provokers again into the DPRK's territorial waters, the Korean People's Army will not remain a passive onlooker to it but bury them in the sea forever through every necessary self-defensive means." Ri rejected the UN imposed sea border as "imaginary" and reiterated the DPRK's territorial claim to a body of water south of the border where last Tuesday's naval confrontation took place. 6. ROK Tourist Detained in DPRK The Associated Press ("N. KOREA REFUSES TO RELEASE TOURIST," Seoul, 06/22/99) and Reuters ("N.KOREA: DETAINED TOURIST PART OF S.KOREA PLOT," Seoul, 06/22/99) reported that the DPRK rejected an ROK demand to release the detained ROK tourist Min Young-mi on Tuesday. The DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said that Min was part of an ROK plot to foil the Mt. Kumkang tour. KCNA also quoted Min as saying, "Those who defected to the south are well off now. You must be tired, climbing up and down the mountain and if you come to the south, you will live in happiness." KCNA said that Min's comments were part of a premeditated anti-DPRK plot and that anyone who preaches defections must "pay dearly." The ROK Unification Ministry spokesman stated, "We do not believe she intended to encourage the person with whom she was talking to defect. We believe it was a casual conversation that has been misunderstood by North Korea." The Associated Press ("S.KOREA MAY SUSPEND TOURISM PROJECT," Seoul, 06/21/99) and Reuters (Jean Yoon, "S.KOREA SUSPENDS TOURS TO NORTH AFTER TOURIST HELD," Seoul, 06/22/99) reported that the ROK on Tuesday suspended cruises to the DPRK after DPRK officials refused to free ROK tourist Min Young-mi. An ROK Unification Ministry spokesman stated, "The tour program will be suspended until the detained tourist is returned safely." 7. ROK Policy towards DPRK Reuters (Jean Yoon, "S.KOREA SUSPENDS TOURS TO NORTH AFTER TOURIST HELD," Seoul, 06/22/99) reported that ROK President Kim Dae-jung on Tuesday told his cabinet to seek engagement with the DPRK but to respond firmly to security breaches. Kim stated, "Our engagement policy with North Korea is to promote cooperation on the base of firm security. With this in mind, you should respond calmly and with confidence." 8. US Missile Defense The Washington Times (Bill Gertz, "CONGRESS, WHITE HOUSE TO BATTLE ON MISSILE DEFENSE," 06/22/99, 1) reported that US White House National Security Adviser Samuel R. Berger said that a decision on deployment of a US national missile defense will not be made before June 2000. Referring to Monday's talks between US President Clinton and Russian President Boris Yeltsin, Berger stated, "What they have agreed to is to consider possible changes in the strategic situation that have a bearing on the ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) Treaty." Berger said that US and Russian officials will talk about START III and "modifications to the ABM treaty that may be occasioned by a national missile defense system, if we were to deploy one." US Senator Thad Cochran said, however, "I wish the administration would be up front and candid with the Russians about the need to change the ABM treaty. Either change it, or we should withdraw from it. We shouldn't try to pretend this bill doesn't state clearly that deployment is required. It clearly does." An unnamed US Senate defense committee aide said that Berger's suggestion that ABM Treaty changes may not be needed "is a demonstration of the administration's continued lack of seriousness" on national missile defense. The aide stated, "There is no question that national missile-defense deployment requires changes to the ABM Treaty, beginning with Article 1. The question of whether to deploy NMD is resolved, not withstanding Mr. Berger's statement." [Ed. note: This article was included in the US Department of Defense's Early Bird news service for June 22.] 9. US Missile Development Reuters ("LOCKHEED IN $125MLN CONTRACT WITH U.S. NAVY," Moorestown, New Jersey, 06/21/99) reported that Lockheed Martin Government Electronic Systems said on Monday that it will develop and test a High Power Discrimination radar for the US Navy's Ballistic Missile Defense Program. Under the agreement, which runs through 2004, Lockheed Martin will develop, produce and test the prototype radar for Naval Sea Systems Command. 10. US Nuclear Program The Associated Press ("U.S. MOVING TO OVERHAUL NUCLEAR SECURITY AT ENERGY DEPT," Washington, 06/22/99) reported that the US Congress on Tuesday agreed that "fundamental changes" are needed in the management of the US nuclear weapons program. US Energy Secretary Bill Richardson said he agreed that "more needs to be done" to improve security at weapons labs and that he might support some department restructuring. At a hearing Senate hearing, US Senator Richard Shelby stated, "The nuclear weapons complex needs to be rescued from the Energy Department." 1. DPRK-ROK Talks Chosun Ilbo (Jee Hae-bum, "DEPUTY MINISTERIAL MEETING OPENS," Seoul, 06/22/99) reported that the ROK and DPRK delegations officially opened up their inter-Korean deputy-ministerial-talks in Beijing on Tuesday morning. ROK representatives said after the meeting that most of the talks dwelt on the naval exchange of gunfire between the two countries' navies. Leading the delegations were Yang Young-shik, the deputy unification minister in the ROK, and Park Young-soo, deputy head of the DPRK's Peaceful Motherland Unification Commission secretariat. In an opening statement, Yang raised the issue of separated families between the ROK and the DPRK and asked the DPRK's representatives to expedite family reunions. He listed concrete proposals, including an exchange of the list of lost families and, if still living, an exchange of visits. In response, Park, while recognizing in principle the urgency of the separated families issue, called for the exchange of gunshots between the two Koreas' navies to be dealt with first. Park claimed that the confrontation between the ROK and DPRK navies was triggered by a preemptive attack by the ROK and urged the ROK to guarantee that such a provocation will not recur. The next meeting between the two delegations was to be confirmed via telephone on Tuesday afternoon. 2. ROK Tourist Detained Chosun Ilbo ("NK DETAINS A MT. KUMGANG TOURIST," Seoul, 06/22/99) reported that the ROK Ministry of Unification announced on Monday that DPRK authorities have detained an ROK tourist, a housewife named Min Young-mi, since Sunday afternoon for allegedly attempting to persuade a DPRK tour attendant to defect to the ROK. A spokesman for the ROK Ministry said that she has been under interrogation at the Jangjon port immigration office, and the cruise ship Poongak left the port for home, leaving her in the hands of DPRK authorities. The ship was expected to arrive at Tonghae port on Tuesday morning. The ROK National Security Council (NSC) held an emergency meeting Monday night and decided to demand the immediate release of Min and to suspend Hyundai's Mt. Kumgang tourism project for the time being. A spokesman for the NSC said that the tourism project would not be allowed if DPRK authorities do not fully guarantee the safety of ROK tourists. Hyundai issued a statement saying it would recall all its personnel in the Jangjon port area unless the DPRK releases Min and guarantees the safety of the tourists. Min joined the tour group with her son Jonghoon. An official of the ROK Ministry of Unification said that all that she did was to talk to a DPRK female tour attendant and say that defectors from the DPRK had been doing well in the ROK. She had to pay US$100 for this and has been detained thereafter. 3. ROK Women's Delegation's Visit DPRK Joongang Ilbo (Kang Joo-an, "WOMEN LEADERS TO VISIT NK," Seoul, 06/22/99) reported that delegates representing ROK women's groups will visit the DPRK from July 17 to 24. The Korean Sharing Movement announced on June 22 that leaders from seven ROK women's organizations, including the President of Sookmyung Women's University, Lee Kyung-sook, and the Chairwoman of Aekyung Group, Jang Young-shin, will go to the DPRK to discuss setting up links between women's societies from the ROK and the DPRK's Democratic Women Confederation. The delegates suggested that subjects of discussion might include the resumption of peace talks between women from the ROK and the DPRK that were suspended in 1994, and support for nursery schools in the DPRK. The women leaders contributed 70 billion won to help the DPRK people. 1. Washington North Korea Roundtable The Institute for Strategic Reconciliation, Inc. (ISR), will sponsor the 5th Washington North Korea Roundtable on the topic: "Engaging North Korea and Responses to the Energy Crisis." Speakers include Marc Vogellar, Director of the Public and External Promotion and Support, The Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO); and David Shear, deputy Director of the Office of Korean Affairs, The US Department of State. The roundtable will be held on Friday, June 25, at 6:30 pm, at Woo Lae Oak Restaurant - Conference Room, 1500 South Joyce Street, Arlington, VA. For directions, please call 703-521-3706 (near Pentagon City Fashion Center metro stop/Blue or yellow line). The registration fee, including a set Korean buffet, is US$20 per ISR affiliate, or US$25 for all others, and must be paid at the door. RSVPs are required for this program as seating is limited. Please contact ISR by fax at 301- 570-0911 or by e-mail at ISR_washington@yahoo.com no later than Thursday, June 24.
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