Korean Peninsula

1. ROK-DPRK Summit
2. US Policy toward DPRK
3. ROK-PRC Talks
4. Energy Supplies for DPRK
5. DPRK Participation in ARF
6. DPRK-Japan Normalization Talks
7. DPRK Agricultural Development
8. Russia-DPRK Relations

Korean Peninsula

The ROK and the DPRK reportedly made significant progress at a second round of talks at Panmunjom to prepare for June's summit meeting. ROK officials dismissed media speculation that DPRK leader Kim Jong-il was planning to meet only briefly with ROK President Kim Dae-jung, and would leave the actual negotiations to a subordinate.
"ROK-DPRK Summit" (Daily Report, April 27, US)
"DPRK-ROK Summit" (Daily Report, April 27, ROK)
"ROK-DPRK Summit" (Daily Report, April 26, US)
"ROK-DPRK Summit" (Daily Report, April 26, PRC)
"DPRK-ROK Summit" (Daily Report, April 25, ROK)
"ROK-DPRK Summit Talks" (Daily Report, April 24, US)
"DPRK-ROK Summit" (Daily Report, April 24, ROK)

Former US Secretary of Defense William Perry said that he told US President Bill Clinton to pursue talks with the DPRK creatively while maintaining a credible deterrent. Edward Neilan of the Heritage Foundation argues that, in light of the upcoming ROK-DPRK summit, the US must pursue a policy of "disciplined reciprocity, a quid pro quo engagement that rewards North Korea only when it takes concrete steps to improve relations with the South."
"US-DPRK Relations" (Daily Report, April 27, US)
"ROK-DPRK Summit" (NPP Flash, V. 2, N. 15)

The DPRK denounced the US for keeping it on the list of terrorism-sponsoring nations, and said that it would not expel Japanese Red Army fugitives.
"DPRK on US Terrorism List" (Daily Report, April 26, US)

ROK Foreign Minister Lee Joung-binn was scheduled to visit the PRC for talks with PRC officials regarding the upcoming ROK-DPRK summit and other issues of mutual concern.
"ROK-PRC Talks" (Daily Report, April 26, US)

US Special Envoy Charles Kartman said that he would suggest that the PRC government provide fuel oil to the DPRK to help alleviate the impact of rising global oil prices.
"DPRK Energy Supplies" (Daily Report, April 27, US)

ROK sources said that the DPRK was on the verge of joining the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Regional Forum (ARF).
"DPRK to Join ARF" (Daily Report, April 26, ROK)
"DPRK Participation in ARF" (Daily Report, April 24, ROK)

The DPRK said that normalization talks with Japan could be threatened if Japan refuses to apologize for its colonization of Korea.
"DPRK-Japanese Talks" (Daily Report, April 26, PRC)
"DPRK-Japan Normalization Talks" (Daily Report, April 25, US)
"DPRK-Japan Talks" (Daily Report, April 24, US)

ROK President Kim Dae-jung said that he plans to introduce the ROK's "New Village Movement" to the DPRK as a model for its own agricultural development. The Joongang Ilbo reported that the DPRK has been showing greater flexibility in its agricultural policy.
"ROK Proposes DPRK Rural Development Plan" (Daily Report, April 24, ROK)
"DPRK Economic Development" (Daily Report, April 27, ROK)

Thomas McCarthy discusses CARE's withdrawal from a consortium of aid organizations working on agricultural development in the DPRK, arguing that the organization failed to follow through on its monitoring agreement with the DPRK. "CARE's Withdrawal from North Korea" (PFO #00-03A)

ROK newspaper reports said that Russian President Vladimir Putin is considering making a state visit to the DPRK shortly after his inauguration.
"Russia-DPRK Relations" (Daily Report, April 24, ROK)

Taiwan Straits

The PRC stepped up military exercises in the area near Taiwan, but Taiwanese officials dismissed the moves as an attempt to intimidate Taiwan before the upcoming presidential inauguration.
"PRC Military Exercises" (Daily Report, April 26, US)
"PRC Military Exercises" (Daily Report, April 25, US)

An unofficial US delegation that included former US officials Winston Lord and Douglas Paal visited Taiwan and the PRC to gauge the state of cross-Straits relations.
"Cross-Straits Relations" (Daily Report, April 25, US)
"Cross-Straits Relations" (Daily Report, April 24, US)

US Republican leaders decided to comply with a request from Taiwanese leaders to put off consideration of the Taiwan Security Enhancement Act until after the inauguration of President-elect Chen Shui-bian.
"Taiwan Security Enhancement Act"

People's Republic of China

PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman Sun Yuxi said that, following the Russian Duma's ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT), the PRC's National People's Congress will speed up its own ratification process for the treaty.
"PRC Ratification of CTBT" (Daily Report, April 26, PRC)
"PRC Ratification of CTBT" (Daily Report, April 25, US)

Sha Zukang, Director General of the PRC's Department of Arms Control and Disarmament, said at the opening of the Nonproliferation Treaty Review Conference that US development of a National Missile Defense system was undermining global disarmament initiatives. Former US Secretary of Defense William Perry argued that it is PRC missile deployments, and not US missile defense, that is fueling an Asian arms race.
"PRC View of US Missile Defense" (Daily Report, April 25, US)
"Asian Arms Race" (Daily Report, April 27, US)

India criticized the PRC for listing Sikkim on its government maps as a separate territory, whereas the Indian government considers it an integral part of India.
"India-China Relations" (South Asia Nuclear Dialogue)

Japan

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori emphasized the need for legislation to allow the Japanese armed forces to respond to contingencies. US-Japan negotiations on noncombants evacuation operations were deadlocked over a disagreement over whether the agreement should remain secret.
"Japanese Security Policy" (Daily Report, April 27, Japan)
"Japanese-US Defense Relations" (Daily Report, April 27, Japan)

Pakistan newspapers quoted Japan's Ambassador to Pakistan, Sadaaki Numata, as saying that Japan offered to host Kashmir talks, but Japanese officials said that Numata was misquoted.
"Japanese Initiatives" (South Asia Nuclear Dialogue)

Russia

The Committee on International Affairs of the Russian Duma proposed a security dialogue among policymakers from Russia, the US, the PRC, and Japan. The discussions would mostly focus on the issue of the Korean Peninsula.
"Russian Security Policy" (Daily Report, April 27, Japan)

Nonproliferation

The Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) Review Conference began in New York on Monday. Nautilus listserves extensively covered various aspects of the conference.
"Japanese Nuclear Nonproliferation Policy" (Daily Report, April 27, Japan)
"PRC Position on NPT" (Daily Report, April 26, PRC)
"NPT Review Conference and other Nuclear Issues" (South Asia Nuclear Dialogue)
"NPT Review Conference" (NPP Flash, V. 2, N. 15) "US Policy toward NPT" (NPP Flash, V. 2, N. 15)

"Implementation of NPT" (NPP Flash, V. 2, N. 15)
"Nuclear Safeguards" (NPP Flash, V. 2, N. 15)

Produced by the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainable Development in partnership with:
International Policy Studies Institute Seoul, Republic of Korea
The Center for Global Communications, Tokyo, Japan
Center for American Studies,
Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Timothy L. Savage: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

Gee Gee Wong: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

Kim Hee-sun: khs688@hotmail.com
Seoul, Republic of Korea

Hiroyasu Akutsu: akutsu@glocomnet.or.jp
Tokyo, Japan

Peter Razvin: icipu@glas.apc.org
Moscow, Russian Federation

Chunsi Wu: dlshen@fudan.ac.cn
Shanghai, People's Republic of China

Dingli Shen: dlshen@fudan.ac.cn
Shanghai, People's Republic of China