Korea

1. DPRK-US Talks
2. DPRK on US-DPRK Talks
3. US, ROK on US-DPRK Talks
4. IAEA Inspection of DPRK
5. KEDO Contributions
6. DPRK-PRC Diplomacy
7. Inter-Korean Relations: Naval Intrusions, Sports
8. DPRK Food Aid
9. US-ROK Military Alliance

Korea

The DPRK began talks in New York between Li Hyong-chol, the DPRK representative to the United Nations, and US special envoy, Jack Pritchard.
"US-DPRK Missile Talks" (NPP Weekly FLASH, V.3 #24)

The DPRK, in its first official response to the talks, has dismissed a US Bush administration request that the issue of conventional forces be included along with questions of nuclear and ballistic missile control. The DPRK also said that the talks should focus on US compensation for delays in the provision of two nuclear reactors. A DPRK Foreign Ministry spokesman accused US President George Bush of setting the agenda for the talks unilaterally and said the US must remove its troops before any discussion of DPRK troop deployments. The spokesman said that it was cautious about US overtures to resume and expand talks with the DPRK, expressing doubt over whether the US truly wanted to improve relations with DPRK.
"DPRK on US-DPRK Talks" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, US)
"DPRK-US Talks" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, ROK)
"DPRK-US Talks" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, PRC)
"US-DPRK Talks" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 18, US)

ROK President Kim Dae-jung stated recently that the most important achievement of last year's inter-Korean summit was the DPRK's agreement to keep US troops on the Korean peninsula.
"US Troops in ROK" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 18, US)

The US rejected a DPRK demand for compensation for delays in the completion of two light water reactors planned under a 1994 agreement. Evans Revere, charge d'affaires at the US Embassy, said he expects the US to start the arms reduction talks with simple and easy issues, such as mutual notification and inspection of military exercises and the establishment of hot lines, leaving a reduction of the DPRK's conventional military forces until after the initial negotiations.
"Compensation for Agreed Framework" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, US)
"US on DPRK Demand" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, ROK)
"US on Talks with DPRK" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, ROK)

ROK analysts said that while the US wants to talk military affairs, DPRK's main concern in any negotiations with its Cold War rival is to get cash aid. "The utmost concern for North Korea remains lifting U.S. economic sanctions so that it can get loans from, say, the World Bank," said Lee Dae-woo of the private Sejong Institute.
"DPRK-US Talks" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, ROK)

The DPRK's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) accused the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) of issuing a sided statement last week that it was "still unable to verify the correctness and completeness of the initial report of nuclear material" in the DPRK. KCNA said, "This is an indication that the organization is joining hostile forces in their moves to stifle the DPRK ... when the US is calling for an early special inspection of the nuclear-related facilities of the DPRK." The International Atomic Energy Agency has said it is unable to verify that the DPRK and Iraq are not diverting nuclear material for military purposes.
"DPRK Reaction to IAEA" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 22, US)
"IAEA Inspection of DPRK" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, US)

A diplomatic source said that the Bush Administration notified the ROK government recently that it would place a priority on tracing DPRK's past nuclear activity as laid out in the 1994 accord.
"US to Track DPRK Nuclear Record" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, ROK)

Glyn Ford, a DPRK expert in the European Parliament, said the European Union (EU) plans to provide about $87.5 million by 2005 to the Korean Peninsula Energy Development Organization (KEDO). The EU has contributed a total of US$75 million since it joined the consortium, and this would represent an increased contribution.
"EU to Increase its Contribution to KEDO" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, ROK)

According to the Kyodo News Service, the PRC and the DPRK have agreed that PRC President Jiang Zemin will make an official visit to the DPRK in September as head of the PRC Communist Party, a well-informed source said Saturday.
"PRC President to Visit DPRK" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, ROK)

The ROK Joint Chiefs of Staff announced that a DPRK vessel sailing toward the Northern Limitation Line diverted toward open seas after receiving a warning from the ROK Navy.
"DPRK Intrusions Across the NLL" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, ROK)

The ROK's Korea Sports Council said in a news release that Council leader Kim Un-yong, who is also active with the International Olympic Committee, will travel to the DPRK next week to discuss inter-Korean sports exchanges with DPRK counterpart Jang Ung.
"Inter-Korean Sports Exchanges" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 18, US)

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post quoted DPRK defectors as saying that the DPRK is blocking international food aid to punish parts of the country that have seen antigovernment rebellions and protests.
"DPRK Food Aid" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 22, US)

After meeting with ROK Defense Minister Kim Dong-shin, US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld reaffirmed the importance of the US alliance with the ROK. He said it was still too soon to say how the US strategy review will affect the status of the 37,000 US troops stationed in the ROK.
"US-ROK Military Alliance" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, US)

China

PRC Assistant Foreign Minister Zhao Wenzhong visited the US State Department for what US officials said were routine talks on Sino-US relations.
"Sino-US Relations" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 22, US)

Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Barger, of the US Pacific Command in Hawaii, said Friday that the dismantling of a US spy plane on Hainan is going smoothly and the aircraft is expected to leave the country in mid-July.
"US Spy Plane in PRC" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 22, US)

Chief of the US mobility command, General Charles Robertson, raised the prospect of the US having greater access to bases in Australia and other countries in the region as the US increases its focus on security in Asia and the Pacific.
"US Forces in Asia-Pacific" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, US)

In a joint statement at the end of a two-day meeting of their defense, foreign and trade ministers, Singapore and Australia called for stable ties between the PRC and the US, saying these were vital to stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
"Call for Stable Sino-US Relations" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, US)

The Jiefang Daily and Shanghai Association of International Relations co-held a seminar on the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO). Experts agreed that the establishment of SCO is of milestone significance, which implies that "Shanghai Five" regime has transited from a forum to a regional cooperation organization and field of cooperation has expanded from regional security to political, economic and cultural issues.
"Shanghai Cooperation Organization" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, PRC)

The Taiwanese army test-fired US Patriot missiles on June 20. The tests reportedly knocked down two airborne targets, a dummy missile and a dummy airplane. Analysts warned it will take more than a successful test to show Taiwan can withstand a barrage of the PRC missiles that some view as the greatest military threat to Taiwan. Taiwanese businessman Paul Hsu said, "Economic development may be more important than missiles. I don't feel safer now. The test-firing may be seen as provocative."
"Taiwan Patriot Missile Tests" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, US)

Former Taiwanese President Lee Teng-hui, who led the Nationalist Party for more than decade, has indicated that he will abandon his party to support President Chen Shui-bian's Democratic Progressive Party during the legislative elections in December. This would be a set-back to the PRC's attempts to politically isolate Chen and force Taiwan towards policies more favorable to the PRC and unification.
"Cross-Straits Relations" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 18, US)

Japan

The Nihon Keizai Shimbun reports that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party is proposing revisions to a 1992 law to allow Japan to send troops with permission only from the host country for United Nations peacekeeping operations.
"UN Peacekeeping Role" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 18, US)

As Japan undertakes restoring economic order, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi will be examining contributions Japan makes to the US-Japan mutual security treaty. The treaty costs Japan approximately US$2.2 billion this fiscal year, making it a fertile target during Japan's ailing economic condition. Even among Japanese committed to the security alliance, some question whether so many US troops need to be stationed in Japan. US Forces Japan's commander, Lieutenant General Paul V. Hester said, "Japan's neighbors would be disturbed if Japan were to amend its constitution in a way that gives the Japanese military greater legitimacy. I think that thoughtful individuals in the rest of Asia would be willing to countenance an increased role for the Japanese military as long as the Japanese military remained closely tied to the U.S. military in Asia. The exception to this is China."
"US-Japan Military Relations" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, US)

Japanese Foreign Minister Makiko Tanaka met in Washington with US officials, including meetings with US Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, as well as a brief meeting with US President George Bush. Tanaka said, "We are at a good point to take a new look at our mutual benefits and burdens."
"Foreign Ministers' Meeting" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 18, US)

The US Navy will attempt to move to shallower waters the Ehime Maru, a Japanese fishing trawler that sunk after colliding with a US submarine, in hopes of recovering the bodies of the nine Japanese sailors and students still believed to be aboard.
"Submarine Accident" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 18, US)

Tsuda Gakuen Junior High School, a private school in Japan's Mie Prefecture, is the first school to state that it plans to use a controversial history textbook that many Asian countries say whitewashes wartime atrocities.
"Textbook Issue" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 18, US)

Russia

Peter Baker reports that despite the attention given to the announcement of a joint US-Russia early warning center in 1998 and again in 2000, planning for the center has not proceeded. Baker states that the stalemate over the early warning center leaves unaddressed Russia's huge blind spots in detecting missile launches, the problem with which the center was supposed to cope.
"US-Russia Joint Early Warning Center" (NPP Weekly FLASH, V.3 #24)

Sam Nunn, a former Democratic senator from Georgia and currently co-chairman of the Nuclear Threat Initiative, writes in the Washington Post that the clear and present danger facing the US is not from DPRK missiles that could hit the US in a few years, but is from Russian missiles that could be accidentally launched and from nuclear, chemical and biological weapons and materials in Russia and the former USSR that could fall into the hands of terrorist groups.
"US Strategic Framework" (NPP Weekly FLASH, V.3 #24)

South Asia

Indian and Russian defense scientists successfully tested the jointly produced PJ-10 medium-range cruise missile.
"India-Russia Cruise Missile Program" (SANDNet Weekly Update, Vol. 2 #24)

Indian Foreign Secretary Chokila Iyer will lead an Indian delegation that will meet with Russian officials in Moscow on June 25 for intensive talks on the situation in Afghanistan.
"India-Russia" (SANDNet Weekly Update, Vol. 2 #24)

An Indian official said that India was ready to consider a natural gas pipeline from Iran that ran either underwater or overland across Pakistan, and that India had dropped its objections to a link through Pakistan.
"India-Iran Pipeline" (SANDNet Weekly Update, Vol. 2 #24)

A Ministry of External Affairs spokesman stated the Jammu and Kashmir was an integral part of India. The spokesman said, "The external affairs minister was not giving his personal views or simply making a statement. He was reiterating the provisions of the Constitution of India."
"Kashmir Issue in Summit" (SANDNet Weekly Update, Vol. 2 #24)

Pakistan Chief Executive Pervez Musharraf would be conducting consultations with political groups, religious leaders and intellectuals before his upcoming summit with Indian Prime Minister A.B. Vajpayee in India. Pakistan Chief Executive Pervez Musharraf said, "The chances of moving forward have never been brighter than they are now." He also said, "Kashmir is my agenda. Discussions on the eight other points without Kashmir is not acceptable."
"India-Pakistan Summit" (SANDNet Weekly Update, Vol. 2 #24)

Jawed Naqvi writes in The Dawn that the creation of nuclear risk reduction center is likely to be a topic of discussion at the Musharraf-Vajpayee summit. A senior Indian official stated that Pakistan Chief Executive Pervez Musharraf would visit by mid-July, not July 7-8, and that only once the dates are announced will final details be worked out. The two countries exchanged notes to analyze and compare each other's positions on the eight issues to be discussed. Seema Guha states that Pakistan has rejected Kashmir as an integral part of India and India has rejected Pakistani claims to flexibility. The Indian Express daily has reported that the summit talks would run July 14 to July 16, and that the venue would be New Delhi for security reasons.
"India-Pakistan Talks" (SANDNet Weekly Update, Vol. 2 #24)
"Summit Commentary" (SANDNet Weekly Update, Vol. 2 #24)

The executive committee of the All-Parties Hurriyat Conference met, but failed to come to a consensus on Abdul Ghani Lone's statement suspending political activities, on Lone's statement advising militants to not take shelter in religious places, and on the Vajpayee-Musharraf summit. APHC chairman Abdul Ghani Bhat reiterated that the APHC could not be sidelined in any discussion of the future of Kashmir. APHC leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq stated that the body was considering requesting that militants declare a ceasefire if the summit make headway towards resolution of the Kashmir issue.
"All-Parties Hurriyat Conference" (SANDNet Weekly Update, Vol. 2 #24)

Pakistan's budget for FY2001-2002 unveiled by Pakistan Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz keeps spending flat for defense-related expenditures, an effective cut considering Pakistan inflation of 4.5 percent.
"Defense Budget" (SANDNet Weekly Update, Vol. 2 #24)

The World Bank's board of directors approved a $350 million structural adjustment credit for Pakistan.
"World Bank" (SANDNet Weekly Update, Vol. 2 #24)

Nuclear Weapons

The BBC reports that the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (Arpansa) has confirmed that the bodies of thousands of Australian children and adults were posthumously used in scientific nuclear tests without parental consent, with their autopsy samples used for studies in the US, Great Britain and Australia.
"Nuclear Testing" (NPP Weekly FLASH, V.3 #24)

Missile Defense

US President George Bush said the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile (ABM) Treaty blocked testing and development of the elements of a multi-layered anti-missile shield and therefore no longer made sense. Bush said, "The current treaty prevents us from doing even more tests to determine what's effective and that's what we really want to know." He said, "The ABM Treaty is a relic of the past. It prevents freedom-loving people from exploring the future, and that's why we've got to lay it aside."
"US Consultations in Europe" (NPP Weekly FLASH, V.3 #24)

US Secretary of State Colin Powell said on June 17 that if the 1972 ABM treaty becomes the obstacle for US to develop its NMD system, US will unilaterally abolish this treaty.
"US May Abolish ABM Treaty" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, PRC)

The Los Angeles Times reports that the Council on Foreign Relations released a survey that showed 51% of Americans in favor of an anti-missile shield and 38% against. Researchers said that although building a system could force abandonment of arms-control treaties, the poll showed that 54% of Americans believe that arms control treaties are the best protection against a missile attack while 34% thought an anti-missile system would be better protection.
"US Perspectives on Missile Defense" (NPP Weekly FLASH, V.3 #24)

Humphrey Hawksley reports for the BBC that residents in Greenland are opposed to the placement of missile defense radars by the US in their territory.
"European Statements" (NPP Weekly FLASH, V.3 #24)

Jiefang Daily reported that the US and Russia presidents held their first summit in Ljubljana, but failed to eliminate divergences between the two countries on ABM treaty and NATO eastward expansion, but showed enthusiasm on recovering existing cold bilateral relations.
"Russia-US Summit Meeting" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, PRC)

Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi did not rule out opposing US plans for a missile defense shield during a question time in Parliament, a departure from the government's position of complete neutrality. Koizumi also said the missile defense program will probably lead to new arms expansion. He stressed this is such an important issue that will affect arms management and world security, for which Japanese Government should carry out prudent research and discussion.
"Japanese Statements" (NPP Weekly FLASH, V.3 #24)
"Japan on US Missile Defense" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, PRC)

Japanese Director-General of Defense Agency said that although Japanese Government continues to collaborate with the US on R&D of theater missile defense program, the Japanese Constitution prohibits Japan from joining the missile defense program, including theater missile defense.
"Japan on US Missile Defense" (NAPSNet Daily Report, June 21, PRC)

A Wenhui Daily commentary concluded that there were four reasons for the Japanese Government's shifting attitudes from understanding to non-participating in the US missile defense program. These include: international opinion on missile defense, the effect of the cost on the weak domestic economy, and the limits of the Japanese Constitution.
"PRC on Japan's View of US Missile Shield

Steve LaMontagne, with the US-based Council for a Livable World, argues that any benefits India may see from a stronger relationship with the US would be eroded by the long-term consequences of a US missile defense system. Madhavan K. Palat argues that neither Russia nor the PRC can afford to enter into an arms race. Palat states that a PRC arms race could force India to recalculate its minimum deterrent, but any increased proliferation to Pakistan will result in increased US pressure upon the Pakistani military, which also benefits India.
"Missile Defense Commentary" (SANDNet Weekly Update, Vol. 2 #24)

Arms Control

The six members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization of states in Central Asia, agreed in a statement signed by the six countries' foreign ministers that the 1972 ABM Treaty was the "cornerstone of global stability and disarmament."
"Shanghai Cooperation Organization" (SANDNet Weekly Update, Vol. 2 #24)

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

Robert Brown, Security Program Assistant:napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

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

Hans Kristensen, Security Program Officer: napsnet@nautilus.org
Berkeley, California, United States

Timothy L. Savage, Security Program Officer: 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