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Inside North
Korea
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A national citation ceremony
was held on August 19 at the May 1 Stadium
to honor the creators and performers of
the Arirang performances and the officials
who supported them. Among those present
at the ceremony was Yang Hyong-Sop, Vice
President of the Supreme People's Assembly
Presidium. |
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The Central Broadcasting
Station reported on August 21 that "the
on-site guidance provided by Comrade Kim
Jong-Il for the past 5,700 days, from the
liberation of the fatherland until last
year, covers over 11,300 units and 415,872
km." |
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International
Issues
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The KCNA commented on August
19 that "if the true intention of the
U.S. is to maintain the DPRK-US Agreed Framework
and seek better relations with us, it ought
to first compensate for the power losses
we suffered due to the delays in the construction
of the light water reactor." |
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DPRK-Japan Red Cross talks
were held in Pyongyang from August 18 to
August 19. A joint press statement released
on August 19 after the talks said that "North
Korea gave notification of the current status
of six missing Japanese citizens, and agreed
to further cooperation between relevant
agencies including the Ministry of People's
Security and People's Committees and Japanese
authorities." |
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During his visit to Russia
(August 20-24), Kim Jong-Il discussed the
issue of linking a trans-Siberian rail line
with Russian President Vladimir Putin in
Vladivostok. |
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Inter-Korean
Issues
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During an August 20 KCNA
briefing, the North Korean Foreign Ministry
remarked on South Korea's annual Ulji Focus
Lens military training as follows: "The
training is being forcefully implemented
by the United States in South Korea to splash
cold water on the growing mood for detente
and unity between the South and North and
to derail improvement in South-North relations."
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The North Korean Committee
for Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland
asserted on August 25 that "if the
South truly seeks to implement the June
15th South-North Joint Declaration, it should
faithfully abide by existing bilateral agreements
and demonstrate its trustworthiness with
action, not words." |
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