Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


August 2003 South Korea Special Weapons News



  • Overview of Intra-Korean Exchanges & Cooperation for Aug 2003 ROK Ministry of Unification
  • Inter-Korean Meeting Held KCNA 29 Aug 2003 -- The sixth meeting of the North-South Committee for the Promotion of Economic Cooperation was held in Seoul from August 26 to 28.
  • S-N Trade Promotion Office to Be Set Up Korea-net 29 Aug 2003 -- Seoul and Pyongyang agreed on Thursday (Aug. 28) to open an office to promote direct inter-Korean trade by South Korean businesses in the North Korean city of Gaeseong, the site of an envisioned industrial park. The North also said it will allow the South to inspect three distribution centers for food aid sent by the South.
  • Koreas Fine-Tune Cooperation Projects Korea-net 28 Aug 2003 -- South and North Korea fine-tuned their joint economic agendas on the second day of the sixth meeting for inter-Korean economic cooperation in Seoul on Wednesday (Aug. 27).
  • Koreas Resume Economic Talks Korea-net 27 Aug 2003 -- South and North Korea reopened talks for bilateral economic cooperation in Seoul on Tuesday (Aug. 26) as representatives from the countries and four other regional players are set to begin critical six-way talks aimed at resolving the North Korean nuclear standoff in Beijing on Wednesday.
  • S. Korean Delegation Here KCNA 27 Aug 2003 -- A Pusan city delegation led by Mayor An Sang Yong arrived here today at the invitation of the National Reconciliation Council.
  • South Side's Delegation to North-South Seminar Visits Different Places KCNA 27 Aug 2003 -- The south side's delegation which had attended a north-south seminar on correctly spelling the English name of the country visited Mangyongdae and the secret camp on Mt. Paektu.
  • S. Korean Delegation Leaves KCNA 27 Aug 2003 -- The south side's delegation led by Kang Man Gil, president of Sangji University, left here today after participating in the north-south seminar on correctly spelling the English name of the country
  • NK Retracts Threat to Withdraw Korea-net 26 Aug 2003 -- Mayor Cho Hae-nyoung, concurrently president of the 2003 Universiade organizing committee, on Monday (Aug. 25) expressed regret over a clash between North Korean reporters and South Korean anti-communist activists on Sunday. Responding to the mayor's comments, the North withdrew its threat to pull out of the sports event.
  • Jeju Residents Visit NK With Food Korea-net 26 Aug 2003 -- A group of 256 local residents left for North Korea Monday at the North's invitation to accept such aid to the North as tangerines and carrots, the Yonhap News Agency reported quoting officials at the Jeju provincial government.
  • S. Koreans Here KCNA 26 Aug 2003 -- A visiting group of Jeju islanders head by U Kun Min, governor of the island, arrived here today at the invitation of the National Reconciliation Council.
  • Delegates Begin to Arrive for Six-Way Talks Korea-net 26 Aug 2003 -- Representatives of countries participating in the first round of six-way talks aimed at resolving North Korea's nuclear weapons program started to arrive here Monday (Aug. 25).
  • 22nd Universiad Opens KCNA 23 Aug 2003 -- 22nd Universiad opened in Taegu, south Korea, on August 21.
  • Working-level Contact for Reconnecting Inter-Korean Rail and Road Links KCNA 23 Aug 2003 -- The sixth working-level contact for reconnecting the rail and road links between the north and the south of Korea was held in Kaesong from August 21 to 22.
  • U.S.-S. Korea Joint Military Drill Denounced KCNA 23 Aug 2003 -- The U.S.-south Korea "Ulji Focus Lens" joint military exercise now underway in south Korea is a military drill aimed to step up the preparations for a war of aggression against the DPRK, threaten and pressurize it and fan up hostility toward it and war hysteria among south Koreans, says Minju Joson today in a signed commentary.
  • GNP Urged to Dismantle Itself KCNA 23 Aug 2003 -- Rodong Sinmun today carries a signed commentary castigating the Grand National Party of south Korea for having desperately worked to prevent the sports team and cheering group of the north from participating in the 22nd Taegu Universiad.
  • S. Korean Army's Ceaseless Military Provocations KCNA 23 Aug 2003 -- The south Korean army is continuing military provocations against the north while infiltrating warships one after another into the territorial waters of the north side in the West Sea, a military source said.
  • Anti-DPRK Moves of GNP Flailed KCNA 23 Aug 2003 -- The Reunification Solidarity of south Korea on Aug. 19 released a commentary titled "The representative of the Grand National Party should make an apology to the nation and quit the political arena."
  • Inter-Korean Transportation Talks Begin Korea-net 22 Aug 2003 -- Officials of the two Koreas on Thursday (Aug. 21) started working-level talks in the North Korean city of Gaeseong to work out details on the reconnection of railways and roads across the border.
  • Koreas March Together at Universiade Opens Korea-net 22 Aug 2003 -- Athletes from South and North Korea marched hand-in-hand before a boisterous crowd as the 22nd Summer Universiade got underway on Thursday in a colorful opening ceremony in Daegu.
  • Notices Exchanged between North and South KCNA 22 Aug 2003 -- Notices on the effectuation of the agreements on the protection of investment, the avoidance of double taxation on income, the settlement of accounts and the procedures for the settlement of business dispute between the north and the south of Korea which had been signed and adopted at the Fourth Inter-Korean Ministerial Talks were exchanged through Red Cross liaison officials of the north and the south in Panmunjom today.
  • KCNA Lambastes S. Korean Ultra Rightists' Anti-North Rowdyism KCNA 20 Aug 2003 -- The ultra-right conservative forces in south Korea including the representative of the Grand National Party reportedly held "August 15 people's rally" in the plaza of the Seoul City Building on August 15 to kick up an anti-north racket.
  • S. Korean Fanatics' Anti-North Rowdyism under Fire KCNA 20 Aug 2003 -- The August 15 National Rally for Peace and Reunification took place in Pyongyang with representatives of people from all walks of life in the north, south and abroad in attendance and reunification functions of pro-reunification movement organizations in Seoul on August 15, the day of the country's liberation.
  • "Appeal to All South Koreans" Supported KCNA 20 Aug 2003 -- Central Committee of the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea warmly supported and welcomed the "Appeal to All South Koreans" released by the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland and the National Reconciliation Council which called for checking and foiling the moves of the right-wing conservative forces including the Grand National Party of south Korea to come to power.
  • South Side's Delegation Arrives KCNA 20 Aug 2003 -- south side's delegation arrived in Pyongyang today to participate in the north-south seminar on correctly spelling the English name of the country.
  • North to Send Players' Team and Supporters' Group to Taegu Universiad KCNA 20 Aug 2003 -- A spokesman for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland today issued the following statement clarifying the north's decision to send its players' team and supporters' group to the 22nd Universiad to be held in Taegu of south Korea, considering it to be a good thing for the south to have made an apology for the anti-north racket perpetrated by the anti-reunification group of south Korea in Seoul on August 15 in which it clearly expressed regret at it and promised the north that it would prevent the recurrence of such incident
  • North Korean Universiade Team Arrives Korea-net 20 Aug 2003 -- A North Korean delegation arrived in Busan Wednesday (Aug. 20) to attend the Universiade in Daegu, South Korea's third largest city, reversing an earlier threat to boycott the games.
  • Mt. Geumgang Tour Fee to Be Lowered Korea-net 19 Aug 2003 -- The tour fee to Mt. Geumgang in North Korea will be significantly lowered from next month, said Hyundai Asan on Monday (Aug. 18).
  • KOREAS / APOLOGY UPDATE VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- North Korea has reversed its earlier decision to boycott a sports event in South Korea, after the South's president expressed regret for recent anti-Pyongyang protests.
  • KOREAS / APOLOGY VOA 19 Aug 2003 -- South Korea's president has expressed regret for last week's anti-North Korean protests in Seoul. The conciliatory gesture comes after North Korea canceled plans to participate in college athletic games in the South this week.
  • S. Korean Delegation Leaves KCNA 18 Aug 2003 -- The south Korean delegation co-headed by Paek To Ung, manager of the Council of Christian Churches, Yun Jae Chol, permanent chairman of the People's Council for National Reconciliation and Cooperation, and Han Sang Ryol, permanent representative of the Reunification Solidarity, left here today after participating in the August 15 National Rally for Peace and Reunification.
  • Inter-Korean Economic Cooperation Gets Boost Korea-net 18 Aug 2003 -- The two Koreas are scheduled to exchange ratified copies of a four-point pact on bilateral economic cooperation at the truce village of Panmunjom on Monday, boosting momentum for northbound investment by Seoul.
  • Inter-Korean Trade Totals $341 Million for First 7 Months of 2003 ROK Ministry of Unification 18 Aug 2003 -- Two-way inter-Korean trade totaled $341.1 million for the first seven months of this year, up 41.3 percent from a year earlier. South Korea imported $134.7 million worth of goods, 29.8 percent increase year on year, while goods valued at $206.4 million were shipped to North Korea, a jump of 50.1 percent.
  • KOREAS INCIDENT VOA 18 Aug 2003 -- South Korea says its navy fired warning shots at a North Korean fishing boat that crossed their maritime border. The incident comes as U-S and South Korean troops began a 12-day war game.
  • NK's Universiade Delegation Delays Trip Korea-net 18 Aug 2003 -- The North Korean delegation to the Daegu Universiade failed to arrive at Kimhae Airport in South Korea on Sunday (Aug. 17) as scheduled. North Korea cancelled both flights of the delegation citing "technical problems."
  • KSDP Calls for Ostracizing GNP and Right-wing Reactionaries KCNA 18 Aug 2003 -- The Central Committee of the Korean Social Democratic Party (KSDP) and all its members express belief that all the political parties, groupings and compatriots from all walks of life in south Korea would turn out in a just patriotic struggle to thoroughly ostracize the Grand National Party and the right-wing reactionary forces, cancer-like entities of the nation, and achieve democracy and the peace and reunification of the country in hearty response to an appeal issued in the joint name of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland and the National Reconciliation Council.
  • S. Koreans Called upon to Ostracize GNP KCNA 18 Aug 2003 -- The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland and the National Reconciliation Council on August 13 published an appeal to all the south Korean brothers and sisters condemning the desperate moves of the revived ultra-right fascist forces in south Korea to usurp early fruits of democratization.
  • S. Korean Delegation to August 15 National Rally Arrives KCNA 16 Aug 2003 -- The South Korean delegation co-headed by Paek To Ung, manager of the council of Christian churches, Yun Jae Chol, permanent chairman of the People's Council for National Reconcilation and Cooperation, and Han Sang Ryol, permanent representative of the reunification solidarity, arrived here today to participate in the August 15 National Rally for Peace and Reunification.
  • KOREAS / TALKS VOA 15 Aug 2003 -- South Korea's president is promising massive aid to North Korea if the communist state gives up its nuclear weapons program. President Roh Moo-Hyun made the promise in a speech in which he urged Pyongyang not to squander the latest opportunity to settle the crisis that has occupied world attention since last October.
  • Military to Help Boost Security at US Camps ROK Ministry of Defence 14 Aug 2003 -- The Joint Chiefs of Staff released guidelines on Wednesday (Aug. 13) to prevent protesters from intruding on United States military sites.
  • U-S-NORTH KOREA VOA 14 Aug 2003 -- Senior U-S, South Korean and Japanese diplomats have completed a two-day set of preparatory talks in Washington for the six-nation meeting on the North Korean nuclear program opening August 27th in Beijing.
  • S-N Join for Liberation Day Celebrations Korea-net 14 Aug 2003 -- A group of 339 South Korean civic leaders will fly to North Korea to take part in this year's anniversary of Korea's liberation from Japanese colonial rule in 1945, the Yonhap News Agency reported quoting organizers.
  • ROK, China Fine-Tune for NK Nuke Talks Korea-net 14 Aug 2003 -- South Korea and China on Wednesday (Aug. 13) fine-tuned their stances ahead of the first round of six-way talks over North Korea's nuclear weapons program, which will be held on Aug. 27-29 in Beijing.
  • S. Korean Army Infiltrates Warships into Territorial Waters of North Side KCNA 14 Aug 2003 -- Of late the south Korean army illegally infiltrated warships into the territorial waters of the north side in the West Sea to commit military provocations one after another, thus rendering the situation in the waters extremely tense, military sources said.
  • NORTH KOREA / TALKS VOA 14 Aug 2003 -- China and South Korea have confirmed that six-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear programs will take place in Beijing later this month.
  • U-S / NORTH KOREA VOA 13 Aug 2003 -- Senior U-S diplomats convened with colleagues from Japan and South Korea Wednesday to map strategy for the six-party talks opening August 27th in Beijing, on the North Korean nuclear weapons program. As the Washington meeting got underway, Secretary of State Colin Powell downplayed a published report the Bush administration was considering economic incentives for Pyongyang to give up its weapons ambitions.
  • S. Korean Army Commits Military Provocation KCNA 13 Aug 2003 -- The south Korean army today committed such a military provocation as bringing tanks to the verge of the Military Demarcation Line to take a firing posture at the north side, military sources said.
  • Yoon, Li to Coordinate on 6-Way Talks Korea-net 13 Aug 2003 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing will arrive here on Wednesday (Aug. 13) for further consultations with South Korean officials on the six-way North Korea nuclear talks to be held in Beijing the last week of this month.
  • RUSSIA / NORTH KOREA VOA 13 Aug 2003 -- Russia is holding separate talks with diplomats from North and South Korea in an effort to ease tensions over North Korea's nuclear program.
  • Russia: Talks With Korean Officials Begin In Moscow RFE/RL 13 Aug 2003 -- Russian officials have today opened separate talks with North Korean and So
  • U-S-NORTH KOREA VOA 12 Aug 2003 -- Senior U-S, South Korean and Japanese diplomats convene in Washington today (Wednesday) for two days of meetings to plan for multi-lateral talks on North Korea's nuclear program later this month in Beijing.
  • Trio to Fine-Tune NK Proposal in DC Meeting Korea-net 12 Aug 2003 -- South Korea, the United States and Japan are expected to compare their North Korean cards and fine-tune differences in Washington D.C. on Wednesday in preparation for the approaching six-way North Korea nuclear talks in Beijing later this month.
  • Roh to Make Overture on NK Nuke Issue Korea-net 12 Aug 2003 -- President Roh Moo-hyun is expected to stress South and North Korea should take a leading role in resolving the lingering standoff over the North's nuclear weapons program in his speech to mark Liberation Day Friday, according to Cheong Wa Dae officials on Monday (Aug. 11).
  • Memorial Service for Jong Mong Hon Held KCNA 12 Aug 2003 -- A memorial service for the late Jong Mong Hon, chairman of Hyundai Asan of south Korea, was held today in Mt. Kumgang, a famous mountain of the nation, symbolic of the north-south cooperation, with bereaved families, his relatives and employees of Hyundai Asan and other south Korean figures concerned attending.
  • Kim Jong Il Sends Verbal Message of Consolation for Death of Jong Mong Hon KCNA 12 Aug 2003 -- Leader Kim Jong Il today entrusted the Korea Asia-Pacific Peace Committee to convey a verbal message of deep consolation to the widow of the late Chairman Jong Mong Hon of Hyundai Asan of south Korea and its President Kim Yun Gu who came to Mt. Kumgang to attend a memorial service for the deceased.
  • 6-Way Nuke Talks Likely Between Aug. 25-31 Korea-net 11 Aug 2003 -- Six-way talks aimed at resolving the standoff over the North Korea's nuclear weapons program will probably be held the last week of this month in Beijing, diplomatic sources in Seoul and Beijing said.
  • Cancellation of Planned U.S. Nuclear War Exercise Demanded Korea-net 11 Aug 2003 -- The South Headquarters of the National Alliance of Youth and Students for the Country's Reunification reportedly released a statement on August 1 denouncing the U.S. for its planned nuclear war exercise against the DPRK.
  • Lawmakers Support Inter-Korean Cooperation KCNA 11 Aug 2003 -- A number of ruling Millennium Democratic Party (MDP) lawmakers on Sunday (Aug. 10) launched a nationwide drive to support inter-Korean economic cooperation led by Hyundai Asan.
  • RUSSIA/KOREA VOA 10 Aug 2003 -- Officials from Russia and North and South Korea will hold talks in Moscow this week to prepare for six-way negotiations about North Korea's nuclear ambitions. Those later talks will also include China, the United States and Japan, possibly later this month.
  • Political Murder by Traitorous Party KCNA 09 Aug 2003 -- The death of Jong Mong Hon is a political murder committed by the Grand National Party of south Korea displeased with the development of the inter-Korean relations, declares Rodong Sinmun in a signed commentary today.
  • Contacts for 6-Way Talks Spurred Korea-net 09 Aug 2003 -- Diplomatic action is under way between South Korea and participants in the proposed six-way multilateral meeting to resolve the North Korean nuclear weapons issue, ripening the mood for the opening of talks.
  • GNP Accused of Driving Jong Mong Hon to Death KCNA 09 Aug 2003 -- A spokesman for the Central Committee of the Democratic Front for the Reunification of the Fatherland in a statement on August 7 denounced the Grand National Party of south Korea for driving chairman Jong Mong Hon to death.
  • CHINA/JAPAN/NORTH KOREA VOA 09 Aug 2003 -- Chinese, Japanese and South Korean officials are shuttling around the region ahead of multi-nation talks on North Korea's nuclear program. A senior Chinese official says the talks in Beijing will be held later this month.
  • GNP Held Responsible for Jong Mong Hon's Death KCNA 08 Aug 2003 -- Jong Mong Hon's sudden death was not a suicide but an obvious political murder by the sword called "special investigation" illegally engineered by the Grand National Party of south Korea as the political and social circles in south Korea unanimously claim, said a spokesman for the Central Committee of the Korean Social Democratic Party in a statement on August 6.
  • Pyongyang Suspends Mt. Geumgang Tours Korea-net 07 Aug 2003 -- North Korea said on Tuesday (Aug. 5) that it will temporarily suspend the Mt. Geumgang tour program to show its condolences for the late Chung Mong-hun, the chairman of Hyundai Asan who committed suicide on Monday.
  • Seoul to Check on North Korean Railways Korea-net 06 Aug 2003 -- A presidential committee said Tuesday it will check the conditions of North Korean railways next year to make sure they are suitable for inter-Korean trains, the Yonhap News Agency reported.
  • Pyongyang Suspends Mt. Geumgang Tours Korea-net 06 Aug 2003 -- North Korea said on Tuesday (Aug. 5) that it will temporarily suspend the Mt. Geumgang tour program to show its condolences for the late Chung Mong-hun, chairman of South Korea's Hyundai Asan who committed suicide on Monday.
  • Hyundai Pledges to Continue S-N Projects Korea-net 05 Aug 2003 -- Hyundai Group said on Monday (Aug. 4) that despite the sudden death of the group’s leader, it will push ahead with its inter-Korean economic cooperation projects.
  • Chung's Death Must not Disrupt S-N Cooperation Korea-net 05 Aug 2003 -- President Roh Moo-hyun on Monday (Aug. 4) expressed sorrow over the death of Hyundai Asan chairman Chung Mong-hun and said the government will push ahead with inter-Korean economic cooperation projects despite the loss.
  • HYUNDAI SUICIDE VOA 04 Aug 2003 -- Officials in Seoul say a top executive of a South Korean conglomerate in charge of joint ventures with communist North Korea committed suicide on Monday. The chief of Hyundai-Asan, Mr. Chung Mong-hun, was facing corruption and embezzlement charges.
  • GNP Branded as Country-Selling Party KCNA 04 Aug 2003 -- Some days ago, the Grand National Party of south Korea referred a "new bill on special inspection" related to the "remittance to the north" again to the "National Assembly", only to be voted down.
  • S. Korean Teachers Union Delegation Leaves KCNA 04 Aug 2003 -- The delegation of the Teachers Union of South Korea led by its vice-chairman Jo Hui Ju left here on Saturday.
  • ROK, Japan, US to Coordinate on NK Next Week Korea-net 04 Aug 2003 -- Officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan will meet in Washington next week to coordinate their North Korea policy ahead of multilateral talks on the communist state's nuclear weapons program, government officials said on Sunday (Aug. 3).
  • Agreement of 2nd Meeting of Inter-Korean Consultations on Economic Cooperation System - Gaeseong ( July 31, 2003 ) ROK Ministry of Unification 04 Aug 2003 -- The South and the North held the Second Meeting of their Working-level Consultations on Economic Cooperation System in Gaeseong from July 29 to July 31, 2003.
  • S. Korean Teachers Union Delegation Sojourns in North KCNA 02 Aug 2003 -- The delegation of the Teachers Union of South Korea toured various parts of Pyongyang and local areas.
  • Inter-Korean Teachers Meet KCNA 02 Aug 2003 -- A meeting of teachers in the north and the south of Korea for the implementation of the June 15 Joint Declaration and the development of national education took place at the Mangyongdae Schoolchildren's Palace on August 1.
  • Inter-Korean Trade Totals $269 Million for First Half of 2003 ROK Ministry of Unification 01 Aug 2003 -- Two-way inter-Korean trade totaled $269.2 million for the first half of this year, up 25.2 percent from a year earlier. South Korea imported $112.3 million worth of goods, 17 percent increase year on year, while goods valued at $156.8 million were shipped to North Korea, a jump of 31.9 percent.
  • Number of Inter-Korean Shipping Gains 7.4 % in 1st Half of 2003 ROK Ministry of Unification 01 Aug 2003 -- The number of inter-Korean shipping operations in the first half of 2003 totaled 817 on a one-way basis, up 7.4 percent from a year earlier, and the quantity of goods carried came to 304,201 tons, down 15.3 percent from the previous year.