Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Kim Jong-Il attended the parade of the Workers' and Peasants' Red Guard at Kim Il Sung Square celebrating the 70th anniversary of the Korea People's Army.

On April 24, Kim had a meeting with K.B. Pulikovski, plenipotentiary representative of the Russian Federation President to the Far East Federal District, who was visiting Pyongyang from April 24 to 27. On April 26, Kim and Pulikovski enjoyed the performances of a Russian dance troupe, a mass gymnastic shows and the Arirang artistic performance held at the May 1 Stadium. Later that evening, Kim hosted a banquet for Pulikovski and his entourage.

- Kim watched a performance of the Song and Dance Troupe of the General Political Department of the Chinese Peoples' Liberation Army on April 23.

On April 23, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson made a statement condemning Japanese Prime Minister Koizumi's visit to the Yaskuni shrine on April 21, saying, "no matter what the form and timing was, this is a totally unacceptable act that serves to excuse the past crimes of the Japanese government."

The Rodong Shinmun criticized U.S. President Bush on April 28 in a commentary titled "Put an End to Mean Insistence," for making further 'axis of evil' remarks during a speech delivered at the Virgina Military University on April 17. It said that the remark revealed that the U.S.'s intention to crush North Korea is still very much alive.

The Pyongyang Broadcasting Station briefly covered the fourth reunion of North and South Korean families at Mt. Kumkang from April 28 to May 3, reporting, "This was the fourth family reunion since the announcement of the June 15 Joint Declaration. One hundred people from North Korea and South Korea each met with their separated families. The first group meeting was held at 17:00 April 28 at Mt. Kumkang Motel."

The Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland released a denunciatory statement on April 28 with regard to South Korean Foreign Minister Choi Seong-Hong's April 18 remarks made during his U.S. visit. The statement said, "A man in charge of South Korea's external relations went about trumpeting that the improvement in inter-Korean relations was a result of the U.S. policy of power. This only goes to prove that South Korea is more interested in harming its own brethren by means of its master's force, rather than making real improvements in the relations."