Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

In connection with the North's establishment of the Sinuiju Special Administrative Region on September 12, Kim Yong-Sul, President of the DPRK Committee for the Promotion of External Economic Cooperation, and Yang Bin, President of the Holland Euro-Asia International Import and Export Trade Company, signed a basic agreement for the development, management and administration of the region on September 23. The Presidium of the Supreme People's Committee appointed Yang Bin as the head of the Special Administrative Region on September 24.   

The KCNA said on September 26 that "the economic policies proposed by the party in recent years are neither copies of other countries' experiences, nor are they attempts to fit existing paradigms. They are the utmost revolutionary and original policies, completely based on the independent wishes and demands of the people."

The KCNA reported September 23 that "the International Taekwondo Federation has appointed Mr. Jang Ung, a member of the IOC and Vice Chairman of the Physical Sports and Culture Guidance Committee, as its new president at a special annual meeting held at the People's Culture Palace in Pyongyang on September 22."   

In its September 24 commentary, the KCNA said that "auspicious signs for lower tension and greater peace are developing in the Northeast Asian region and in particular the Korean peninsula. The United States is going against these larger trends by clinging to their confrontational policy against our republic."

The KCNA said on September 27 that "In North Korea, there are millions of bereaved families whose boys and men have been forcefully deported to Japan and they do not know whether they are still living or not, and their girls have been brutally dragged away and abused as sex slaves. Their sufferings are no match for a few missing Japanese citizens."

A North Korean team attended the 14th Busan Asian Games held from September 29 to October 14. Also, a performance group of South Korea's MBC broadcasting station visited Pyongyang on September 25 to stage two concerts at the East Pyongyang Grand Theater from September 27 to September 29.

Pyongyang Broadcasting Station reported September 24 that "the North Korean Council for Reconciliation and Cooperation and the Youth and Student Committee of the Southern Headquarters for the 2002 People's Joint Events held working-level meetings at Mt. Kumkang from September 23 to September 24. During the meeting, both sides agreed to hold a Youth and Student Unification Convention from October 13h to October 24 and a Women's Unification Convention from October 16 to October 17 at Mt. Kumkang."