Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


July 2003 South Korea Special Weapons News



  • Overview of Intra-Korean Exchanges & Cooperation for Jul 2003 ROK Ministry of Unification
  • Buses Cross Inter-Korean Border Unhindered Korea-net 31 Jul 2003 -- A South Korean delegation on Tuesday (July 29) traveled by bus to the North Korean city of Gaeseong for working-level economic talks, without changing buses at the border.
  • US Quick-Strike Brigade to Visit Korea ROK Ministry of Defence 29 Jul 2003 -- A newly created U.S. quick-strike brigade will conduct its first overseas exercise in the Republic of Korea.
  • Relief Group Visits North Korea Korea-Net 28 Jul 2003-- A group of 103 South Korean non-governmental relief officials left for North Korea Monday to monitor the distribution of aide delivered to the North, the group said as quoted by the Yonhap News Agency.
  • Seoul, Auckland Agree to Peaceful NK Solution Korea-Net 25 Jul 2003-- South Korea and New Zealand on Friday (July 25) agreed to closely cooperate to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing standoff over the North Korean nuclear program.
  • Seoul Expects 6-Way Talks Next Month Korea-Net 25 Jul 2003-- The format of the much-disputed multilateral talks on the North Korean nuclear standoff will most likely become a six-way dialogue including South Korea, North Korea, the United States, China, Japan and Russia, according to Seoul officials on Friday (July 25).
  • NK, US Close to Agreeing on 5-Way Talks Korea-net 23 Jul 2003 -- The dates for trilateral talks between North Korea, the United States and China on the nuclear standoff and five-way talks including South Korea and Japan could be announced simultaneously, a senior Seoul official said on Tuesday (July 22).
  • ROK, US to Hold Drill Sept. 18-29 Korea-net 21 Jul 2003 -- South Korea and the United States will conduct annual war games from Sept. 18-29 to test their preparedness, the ROK-U.S. Combined Forces Command (CFC) said on Monday (July 21).
  • Roh Regrets NYT Report on NK Nuclear Plant Korea-net 21 Jul 2003 -- President Roh Moo-hyun was concerned on Monday (July 21) that unwarranted media reports on North Korea’s nuclear activities could worsen the nation’s flagging economy.
  • Roh, Blair Urge NK to Join Multilateral Talks Korea-net 21 Jul 2003 -- President Roh Moo-hyun and British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Sunday (July 20) urged North Korea to join a multilateral dialogue to peacefully dismantle its nuclear weapons program.
  • Blair, Roh Agree Dialogue Needed in North Korea Crisis VOA News 20 Jul 2003 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair and South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun have agreed that dialogue is the best way to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis.
  • ROK, Australia to Cooperate on NK Issue Korea-net 19 Jul 2003 -- President Roh Moo-hyun and Australian Prime Minister John Howard on Friday (July 18) agreed to fully cooperate to peacefully resolve the standoff over North Korea's nuclear weapons program.
  • S. KOREA / BLAIR VOA 20 Jul 2003 -- British Prime Minister Tony Blair has rejected suggestions that he shorten his Asian tour and recall Parliament because of the suicide of a government scientist embroiled in a dispute over the war in Iraq. AThe death of the former weapons inspector has overshadowed Mr. Blair's tour through East Asia.
  • Trilateral NK Nuke Talks May Resume Korea-net 18 Jul 2003 -- Trilateral dialogue between North Korea, the United States and China will likely resume early next month and could be followed immediately by five-way talks including South Korea and Japan, according to Seoul sources and reports on Thursday (July 17).
  • KOREAS D-M-Z SHOOTOUT VOA 17 Jul 2003 -- North and South Korean soldiers traded fire Thursday at the heavily fortified frontier that divides the two rival nations. The shooting comes as the United States, China and other nations work toward resolving an escalating crisis over the communist state's nuclear ambitions.
  • North, South Korea Trade Gunfire Along DMZ VOA News 17 Jul 2003 -- North and South Korean soldiers traded fire Thursday at the heavily fortified frontier that divides the two rival nations. The shooting comes as the United States, China and other nations work toward resolving an escalating crisis over the communist state's nuclear ambitions.
  • Soldiers Exchange Fire at Border Korea-Net 17 Jul 2003 -- South and North Korean soldiers briefly exchanged fire along the demilitarized zone early Thursday morning, but no casualties were reported from the South Korean side, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said.
  • Sharing skills... U.S., ROK Marine snipers stay on target Marine Corps News 16 Jul 2003-- The scout sniper platoon, 3rd Battalion, 8th Marines, 4th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division trained the 33rd Battalion, Republic of Korea Marine snipers during their deployment to Korea in support of the Korean Integrated Training Program (KITP).
  • Seoul Discounts NK Reprocessing Claim Korea-net 15 Jul 2003 -- South Korean diplomats and scientists are skeptical of a report that North Korea has completed reprocessing spent nuclear reactor fuel rods into weapons-grade plutonium, a main component for atomic bombs.
  • 2ID soldiers participate in ROK Ranger training US 8th Army Release MS WORD DOC 14 Jul 2003-- Republic of Korea army ranger instructors watched as two Warriors from the 2nd Forward Support Battalion shimmied up rope obstacles as the rest of their platoon conducted leg-strengthening exercises nearby.
  • 2ID Warriors certified in sling loading US 8th Army Release MS WORD DOC 14 Jul 2003-- Sling loading is one of the Army's premier methods of transporting equipment and supplies. Because of that, the skill of inspecting a sling load once it's rigged is an important source of knowledge when millions of dollars of everything from humvees to MREs are hanging hundreds of feet in the air.
  • South Korea: No Evidence N. Korea Has Reprocessed Nuclear Rods VOA News 14 Jul 2003 -- South Korea says it has no proof that North Korea has reprocessed spent nuclear fuel to extract plutonium for nuclear weapons.
  • No Evidence N. Korea Reprocessing Nuclear Rods, Says Seoul VOA News 14 Jul 2003 -- South Korea has said there is no evidence to confirm Pyongyang's claim it has finished reprocessing spent nuclear fuel rods, which could yield weapons-grade plutonium. The latest statement comes amid a series of conflicting reports on North Korea's nuclear activities.
  • Joint Press Statement of the Eleventh South and North Korean Ministerial Talks - Seoul ( July 12, 2003 ) Korea-net 14 Jul 2003 -- The Eleventh round of South and North Korean Ministerial Talks was held in Seoul from July 9 to 12, 2003.
  • S-N Talks Continue on NK Nuclear Issue Korea-net 12 Jul 2003 -- South and North Korea on Friday (July 11) made a last-ditch effort to produce a solution to the nuclear standoff at the 11th ministerial talks underway in the nation's capital.
  • KOREA / TALKS VOA 12 Jul 2003 -- After several days of discussions, North and South Korea failed Saturday to agree on a format for talks to resolve the crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons. The two sides resolved only to pursue what they called "appropriate" dialogue towards a peaceful solution.
  • Inter-Korean Talks Fail to Resolve Crisis Over Nuclear Weapons VOA News 12 Jul 2003 -- After several days of discussions, North and South Korea failed Saturday to agree on a format for talks to resolve the crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear weapons. The two sides resolved only to pursue what they called "appropriate" dialogue towards a peaceful solution.
  • ROK, Russia Open First Air Force Meeting in Seoul ROK Ministry of Defence 11 Jul 2003 -- The Ministry of National Defense reported on Wednesday (June 9) that the First ROK-Russia Air Force Meeting opened on Wednesday (June 9) in Seoul for a five-day run.
  • KOREAS / TALKS VOA 11 Jul 2003 -- Disagreement over how to resolve the nuclear stand-off on the Korean Peninsula is hampering progress at a cabinet-level meeting between the two Koreas in Seoul. The two sides are having difficulty agreeing on the wording for a joint statement.
  • Disagreements Hamper Inter-Korean Meeting VOA News 11 Jul 2003 -- Disagreement over how to resolve the nuclear standoff on the Korean Peninsula is hampering progress at a cabinet level meeting between the two Koreas in Seoul. The two sides are having difficulty agreeing on the wording for a joint statement.
  • North/South Korea: South Urges North Not To Aggravate Nuclear Dispute RFE/L 10 Jul 2003 -- South Korea today warned its northern neighbor not to aggravate a nuclear crisis on the Korean Peninsula.
  • NK Delegation Arrives for S-N Minister Talks RFE/L 10 Jul 2003 -- The 11th round of Inter-Korean ministerial talks will begin on Thursday (July 10) amid continuing tension over North Korea's attempt to develop nuclear weapons.
  • South Korea Again Urges North to Help Solve Nuclear Crisis VOA News 10 Jul 2003 -- South Korea has again urged its northern neighbor to accept multilateral talks to solve the crisis over Pyongyang's nuclear program. The appeal came Thursday, after the first round of high-level inter-Korean talks in Seoul. South Korean officials said earlier in the day that Pyongyang can get international aid if it abandons its nuclear ambitions. However, North Korean negotiators said the United States must give up what they call a "hostile" and "aggressive" stance towards Pyongyang before talks can take place.
  • N. Korea Takes Steps in Nuclear Weapons Development, charges Seoul VOA News 09 Jul 2003 -- For the first time, South Korea's intelligence agency has said North Korea has recently reprocessed a small number of spent nuclear fuel rods. It also says the North has carried out high-explosive tests related to the development of nuclear arms.
  • SOUTH KOREA/CHINA VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- South Korea's president is again urging North Korea to give up its quest for nuclear weapons. The South Korean leader made the call during a visit to Beijing, North Korea's closest ally.
  • Roh: N. Korea Must Choose 'Path of Peace' VOA News 09 Jun 2003 -- South Korea's president is again urging North Korea to give up its quest for nuclear weapons. The South Korean leader made the call during a visit to Beijing, North Korea's closest ally. South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun says North Korea must give up its nuclear projects. He warned that "no nation has the right to threaten the security of its neighbors."
  • NORKOR/NUCLEAR VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- For the first time, South Korea's intelligence agency has said North Korea has recently reprocessed a small number of spent nuclear fuel rods. It also says the North has carried out high-explosive tests related to the development of nuclear arms.
  • KOREAS/TALKS VOA 09 Jun 2003 -- A North Korean delegation has arrived in Seoul for Cabinet-level talks with South Korean officials. The meeting's official focus is on joint projects, but the talks are expected to be overshadowed by concerns about the North's nuclear weapons programs.
  • 1,000 Southerners to Visit NK Next Month Korea-net 09 Jul 2003 -- Hyundai Asan, the operator of the Mt. Geumgang tourism project in North Korea, plans to invite 1,000 South Koreans, including its pro-league basketball players, to Pyongyang next month.
  • 3rd Meeting Agreement on Connection of Inter-Korean Rails, Roads - Munsan (July 04, 2003) Korea-net 09 Jul 2003 -- Following is an unofficial English-language translation of the text of the agreement reached after the third meeting of working-level consultations on the connection of the inter-Korean railways and roads held in Munsan July 2-4, 2003
  • 7th Round Inter-Korean Reunion of Separated Families Korea-net 09 Jul 2003 -- Between June 27 and July 2, 2003, a total of 899 families living in separation in South and North Korea were reunited at Mt. Geumgang in two batches
  • Groundbreaking Ceremony for the Gaeseong Industrial Complex Korea-net 09 Jul 2003 -- South and North Korea held a groundbreaking ceremony June 30 marking the beginning of construction for the Gaesung Industrial Complex in North Korea. The ceremony took place off one section of the temporary utility road connecting the two Koreas through the complex site. Some 300 representatives from the two sides attended the ceremony, which was arranged by civilian businesses involved in the construction project.
  • Roh, Hu Urge NK to Drop Nuclear Ambition Koera-net 08 Jul 2003 -- President Roh Moo-hyun and Chinese President Hu Jintao on Monday reconfirmed the neighboring nations¡¯ common ground in their approach to resolve the nuclear crisis on the Korean peninsula.
  • CHINA/SOUTH KOREA VOA 08 Jul 2003 -- South Korea's president is pushing for greater economic cooperation in northeast Asia, but says that can only happen if there is peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.
  • Rep. Weldon Outlines 10-Point Peace Plan for Korean Peninsula Washington File 07 Jul 2003 -- Representative Curt Weldon (Republican of Pennsylvania) has unveiled a 10-point plan for bringing peace to the Korean peninsula.
  • CHINA SOKOR UPDATE VOA 07 Jul 2003 -- South Korea and China are pledging to press reclusive North Korea toward talks to peacefully end the dispute over Pyongyang's nuclear-weapons program.
  • Roh, Hu to Seek Way Out of NK Nuke Row Korea-net 07 Jul 2003 -- President Roh Moo-hyun will hold summit talks with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing Monday afternoon to discuss a negotiated way out of the North Korea-U.S. standoff over the communist country's nuclear weapons development.
  • NK Athletes to Travel by Air for Universiade Korea-net 07 Jul 2003 -- South and North Korea have agreed that Northern athletes and supporters will travel by air for Daegu Summer Universiade slated for Aug. 21-31, government sources said Sunday (July 6).
  • Seoul to Ship 5,000 tons of Rice Aid to North Korea-net 07 Jul 2003 -- The second batch of this year's rice aid to North Korea will depart for the famine-stricken country on July 15, officials said on Sunday (July 6).
  • Inter-Korean working contact made KCNA 07 Jul 2003 -- A working contact between the University Students' Sports Association of the north side and the South Side's Organizing Committee for the 22nd Universiad to be held in Taegu took place at Mt. Kumgang resort from July 4 to 6 to discuss the issue of the north side's participation in the games.
  • CHINA/SOKOR VOA 07 Jul 2003 -- South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun has arrived in China for talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. President Roh's entourage also includes Cabinet ministers and business leaders who hope to use the visit to boost trade between the two nations.
  • Roh Arrives in China, Agenda Includes Trade Talks VOA News 07 Jul 2003 -- South Korean President Roh Moo-Hyun has arrived in China for talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program. President Roh's entourage also includes Cabinet ministers and business leaders who hope to use the visit to boost trade between the two nations.
  • Gaeseong Land Priced at $84.6 per Pyeong Korea-net 05 Jul 2003 -- The price of land at the Gaeseong industrial complex, for which construction began at the end of last month, will likely be set at between 100,000 won ($84.6) and 200,000 won per 3.3 square meters (pyeong), state-run Korea Land Corp. (KOLAND) President Kim Jin-ho said on Friday (July 4).
  • Inter-Korean panel meeting held KCNA 05 Jul 2003 -- The third meeting of the north-south panel for reconnecting railway and road links was held in Munsan of the south side from July 2 to 4.
  • US, NK to Meet on Remains of MIAs Korea-net 04 Jul 2003 -- U.S. and North Korean officials may be able to meet as early as next week to reopen talks on recovering the remains of American soldiers missing from the 1950-1953 Korean War, the Yonhap News Agency reported quoting a U.S. official.
  • 6-Way Talks on NK Looming as Reality Korea-net 04 Jul 2003 -- U.S. President George W. Bush's mention of Russia's participation in multilateral talks with North Korea on the nuclear programs heightens the possibility that the envisaged five-way talks may be expanded to a six-way format.
  • First Batch of Food Aid Is Headed to North Korea Korea-net 04 Jul 2003 -- A South Korean vessel carrying 3,000 tons of rice for North Korea set sail from Mokpo Port in late afternoon (4 p.m.) Thursday (July 3), the Ministry of Unification reported.
  • 5th Working-level Contact for Connection of Inter-Korean Rails, Roads Korea-net 04 Jul 2003 -- The Fifth Working-level Contact for the Connection of Railroads and Roads between South and North Korea
  • Seized Weapons Are Legitimate Export Items ROK Ministry of National Defense 03 Jul 2003 -- Hundreds of machine guns and rifles that Spanish authorities discovered and seized from a ROK cargo vessel in its territorial waters are legitimate export items, the Defense Ministry said Wednesday.
  • Rally for peace and disarmament held in S. Korea KCNA 03 Jul 2003 -- The 27th Rally for Peace and Disarmament was reportedly held in front of the building of the South Korean Ministry of defense in Seoul on June 26 with different organizations attending.
  • Separated Families Bid Farewell Korea-net 03 Jul 2003 -- A group of 472 South Korean separated family members bid farewell to 100 elderly North Korean relatives on Wednesday (July 2) after a three-day reunion at Mt. Geumgang.
  • S-N Ministerial Talks to Take Place Next Week Korea-net 03 Jul 2003 -- South and North Korea will hold a new round of ministerial talks in Seoul next week, despite the tension over the North's nuclear weapons program.
  • Separated families and relatives reunite KCNA 02 Jul 2003 -- The seventh reunion of separated families and relatives from the north and the south of Korea continued at Mt. Kumgang resort.
  • Separated Families Have Emotional Meetings Korea-net 02 Jul 2003 -- A group of 472 South Koreans on Tuesday (July 1) held closed-door individual reunions with 100 elderly North Korean relatives at Mt. Geumgang in the North. The individual meetings took place in the families' hotel rooms and lasted for two hours.
  • SOKOR STRIKES VOA 02 Jul 2003 -- South Korea is confronting another wave of labor unrest, a day after South Korean rail workers voted to end their four-day strike. The brewing conflict could further undermine foreign investor's confidence in South Korea's economy.
  • Seoul Calls for US-NK Barter on Nuclear Row Korea-net 01 Jul 2003 -- Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun said on Monday (June 30) that North Korea and the United States should simultaneously comply with each other's demands as a way to break the current deadlock over the nuclear issue.
  • Ground Broken for Gaeseong Industrial Complex Korea-net 01 Jul 2003 -- The two Koreas on Monday (June 30) held a ground-breaking ceremony for the Gaeseong Industrial Complex, a major economic cooperation experiment creating a capitalist-style industrial zone in the North for South Korean and foreign firms.
  • More Separated Families Meet at Mt. Geumgang Korea-net 01 Jul 2003 -- A group of 472 South Koreans left for Mt. Geumgang on Monday (June 30) to hold reunions with 100 of their North Koreans relatives, separated by the Korean War. This is the second round of the seventh separated family reunions held following the inter-Korean summit in 2001.
  • SOKOR STRIKES VOA 01 Jul 2003 -- South Korean rail workers are returning to work Tuesday following a vote by union members to end their four-day strike. Government pressure had many workers back on the job even before the vote was taken.