Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

Kim Jong Il visited Korea People's Army Unit No. 319, accompanied by KPA Chief of General Staff Kim Young Chun, People's Armed Forces Minister Kim Il Chul and Korea Worker's Party Secretary Kim Yong Sun. During the visit, he gave instructions to "further strengthen and develop the KPA into an invincible revolutionary force."   

- Kim Jong Il visited KPA Unit 639 on Mar. 13, and attended a carnival celebration hosted by the Russian Embassy in Pyongyang on Mar. 17.

The Rodong Shinmun printed an editorial on Mar. 11 titled "Vigorously Striding Forward to the Great April Festival," in which it was stressed that "all people should assiduously and incessantly work to prepare for such events as mass gymnastics and the artistic performance of Arirang to mark the 90th anniversary of Kim Il Sung's birthday."   

A Foreign Ministry delegation led by Vice Minister Kim Young Il departed Pyongyang for a visit to China on Mar. 11. Supreme People's Assembly President Choe Thae Bok departed Pyongyang for Russia on Mar. 16.

A Foreign Ministry spokesperson issued a statement regarding the U.S. State Department Nuclear Status Report (Mar. 13) that said, "In light of the current state of affairs where nuclear fanatics are firmly seated in the White House, we have no choice but to make a complete review of all the agreements we have made with the U.S."

Democratic National United Front Broadcasting, a malicious anti-South-Korea propaganda media outlet, propagandized on Mar. 11 that "This spring-season labor struggle should not be a near-sighted struggle to get a few more dollars and jobs; rather, it should aim for anti-U.S. independence and for eradicating the roots of all the problems that threaten the very survival of the working people."

North Korea made a series of criticisms against the planned joint ROK-US military drill scheduled for Mar. 21-27. The Rodong Shinmun, for instance, printed a commentary on Mar. 13 saying that "The drill constitutes a naked challenge against us, a planned provocation and a de-facto declaration of war."