Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)


September 2003 South Korea Special Weapons News



  • Overview of Intra-Korean Exchanges & Cooperation for Sep 2003 ROK Ministry of Unification
  • Two Koreas to Hold Joint Celebration Korea-Net 30 Sep 2003 -- A delegation of South Korean religious and civic leaders are set to leave on Tuesday for a five-day trip to North Korea to attend inter-Korean festivities marking National Foundation Day, the Yonhap News Agency reported quoting South Korean organizers.
  • Korea-Net 30 Sep 2003 -- Top United States officials are not pursuing a policy aimed at toppling the North Korean regime, Foreign Affairs-Trade Minister Yoon Young-kwan said on Monday (Sept. 29).
  • Allies Fine-Tune NK Proposal in Tokyo Korea-Net 30 Sep 2003 -- Senior officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan on Monday (Sept. 29) began consultations in Tokyo on how to jointly approach the envisioned six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programs.
  • US Preparing New Plan on NK Issue: FM Korea-Net 29 Sep 2003 -- Foreign Affairs-Trade Minister Yoon Young-kwan said in New York on Saturday that the United States is preparing a detailed proposal to address North Korea's security concerns and this proposal will likely be presented to Pyongyang during the second round of six-way talks expected in November.
  • Telephone Message to S. Korean Chief Delegate to Inter-Korean Ministerial Talks KCNA 29 Sep 2003 -- Kim Ryong Song, head of the north side to the North-South Ministerial Talks, today sent a telephone message to Jong Se Hyon, chief delegate of the south side as regards the decision of the Cultural and Tourist Committee of the south Korean National Assembly to make a "state policy inspection regarding the north".
  • Decision of South Korean National Assembly Blasted KCNA 29 Sep 2003 -- The Secretariat of the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland issued information bulletin No. 850 on Sept. 26 as regards the decision made by the "Cultural and Tourist Committee" of the south Korean National Assembly on Sept 25 to visit Pyongyang and Kaesong along the Seoul-Sinuiju land route from October 6 to 9 and make a "state policy inspection regarding
  • South and Overseas Delegations here KCNA 29 Sep 2003 -- The south side's delegation headed by Jon Jae Jin, chairman of the Society for Probing the Truth behind the Sinking of Ship Ukishima by Explosion and the overseas delegation led by Hong Sang Jin, secretary general of the Central Headquarters of the Korean Side of the Fact-finding Group of the Forcible Drafting of Koreans arrived here on Sept. 27 to participate in the Pyongyang symposium for probing the truth behind the "Ukishima-Maru" incident.
  • SOUTH KOREA POL VOA 29 Sept 2003-- South Korea's president says he will quit his ruling his party, amid a political split.
  • Reunion of Separated Families and Relatives of North and South Ends KCNA 27 Sep 2003 -- The 8th reunion of separated families and relatives that began at Mt. Kumgang resort came to an end on Thursday. The reunion took place after separated families and relatives of the north side met with those from the south side on September 20 and 21.
  • Youth and Students of North and South Meet KCNA 27 Sep 2003 -- Youth and students of the north and the south met at the Central Youth Hall on Thursday.
  • 5 Nations to Discuss NK Nuke Issue in New York Korea-Net 25 Sep 2003 -- Foreign ministers representing the five countries that took part in the nuclear talks with North Korea last month in Beijing, China will meet in New York Thursday to discuss follow-up measures to the six-way talks.
  • Pyongyang Visiting Group of S. Korean Youth and Students Arrives KCNA 24 Sep 2003 -- A Pyongyang visiting group of south Korean youth and students arrived here yesterday.
  • Visiting Group of S. Korean NGO Leaves KCNA 22 Sep 2003 -- The visiting group of the south Korean NGO "Let-Koreans-Help-Each-Other-Movement" led by its Permanent Representative Song Hyon Sop left here today.
  • GNP Representative Slammed KCNA 22 Sep 2003 -- Choe Pyong Ryol, representative of the south Korean Grand National Party, in a resent interview with Washington Times asserted that if the six-way talks end in a failure it is necessary to pressurize the north by suspending food and energy aid to it, saying the nuclear issue is not a matter whose discussion can be dragged on and one can hardly rely on the dialogue and negotiation only.
  • 8th Reunion of Separated Families and Relatives starts KCNA 22 Sep 2003 -- The 8th reunion of separated families and relatives started at Mt. Kumgang resort.
  • 8th North-South Military Working Talks Held KCNA 19 Sep 2003 -- The 8th North-South military working talks took place at the Thongil House of the north side in Panmunjom on Sept. 17 when the desire for national reunification is growing stronger under the banner of the historic June 15 joint declaration.
  • Koreas Agree to Open Roads, Hotline Korea-Net 19 Sep 2003 -- The two Koreas on Wednesday agreed to start using the main cross-border roads on the east and west coasts of the peninsula, which will link the divided nation for the first time in half a century.
  • Seoul to Monitor Food Aids Distribution in NK Korea-Net 19 Sep 2003 -- Seoul will send inspectors to North Korea this month to check whether or not Pyongyang is diverting food aid to its military.
  • Seoul Praises North Korea's Reform Push Korea-Net 18 Sep 2003 -- Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun on Wednesday (Sept. 17) made encouraging remarks about Pyongyang for its push to reform the staggering economy.
  • EU Interested in Joining Six-Way Talks Korea-Net 17 Sep 2003 -- The European Union is interested in joining the six-way talks on resolving the North Korean nuclear crisis, Deputy Foreign Minister Lee Soo-hyuck said on Tuesday (Sept. 16).
  • ROK, US, Japan to Coordinate NK Policy Korea-Net 17 Sep 2003 -- Officials from South Korea, the United States and Japan will coordinate their policy on issues regarding North Korea and discuss plans for the next six-way talks at an informal meeting in Tokyo on Sept. 29-30, Foreign Affairs-Trade Ministry officials said on Tuesday (Sept. 16).
  • South Koreans Make First Tour of P'yang Korea-Net 17 Sep 2003 -- A group of South Korean tourists on Monday (Sept. 15) touched down in Pyongyang, marking the first time that ordinary South Koreans have visited the North's capital on a commercial tour since the peninsula was divided 55 years ago.
  • S. Korea Urged to Reject U.S. Demand KCNA 17 Sep 2003 -- The U.S. deputy assistant defense secretary "requested" the south Korean authorities to dispatch additional troops to Iraq at the 4th meeting of "allies' policy consultative council" of south Korea and the U.S.
  • S. Korean Visiting Group Arrives KCNA 17 Sep 2003 -- A visiting group of south Korean NGO "Let-Koreans-Help-Each-Other Movement" led by its permanent representative Song Hyon Sop arrived in Pyongyang today.
  • U.S., ROK to Cooperate on Advanced Nuclear Energy Technologies Washington File 16 Sept 2003-- The United States and the Republic of Korea signed a five-year agreement September 16 to conduct joint research and development on advanced proliferation resistant fuel cycle technologies.
  • S. Korean Authorities Urged to Reject U.S. Demand for Troop Dispatch KCNA 16 Sep 2003 -- The south Korean authorities are reportedly talking about dispatching 1,200 additional troops to Iraq including 800 combat troops of a special warfare division, yielding to the U.S. pressure. Rodong Sinmun today in a signed commentary says that this can not but be a mean pro-U.S. subservient act and an anti-people and anti-national criminal act lashing the whole nation into a fury.
  • 130 S. Koreans to Begin Pyongyang Tour Monday Korea-Net 15 Sep 2003 -- About 130 South Koreans will start a five-day sightseeing tour of Pyongyang and nearby areas on Monday (Sept 15), marking the beginning of commercial tours by South Koreans to the North Korean capital.
  • Gaeseong to Open to S. Korean Tourists Korea-Net 09 Sep 2003 -- Following Mt. Geumgang and Pyongyang, North Korea's ancient city of Gaeseong will be open to South Korean tourists from next month.
  • 'US Eyes Security Assurance for NK' Korea-Net 08 Sep 2003 -- Foreign Affairs-Trade Minister Yoon Young-kwan said on Monday (Sept. 8) the United States is contemplating proposals to address North Korea's security concerns and stop its nuclear program, which will be submitted during the next six-way meeting.
  • Seoul Considering Subsidizing Mt. Geumgang Tours Korea-Net 05 Sep 2003 -- The government is actively considering re-subsidizing Mt. Geumgang tourism which stopped at the protest of the opposition party after the North Korean nuclear crisis, Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun said on Thursday (Sept. 4).
  • Ra to Visit China Next Week Korea-Net 05 Sep 2003 -- National security adviser Ra Jong-yil will visit China next week to follow up on last week's multilateral talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program, the Yonhap News Agency reported quoting the presidential office of Cheong Wa Dae.
  • Bush Vows Efforts for Successful 6-Way Talks Korea-Net 05 Sep 2003 -- U.S. President George W. Bush on Thursday told South Korean Foreign Affairs-Trade Minister Yoon Young-kwan that he strongly supports the six-way dialogue process to resolve the North Korean nuclear weapons issue and that he will exert his utmost effort for its success.
  • Koreas Swap Search Results for Family Reunions Korea-Net 05 Sep 2003 -- Red Cross societies of the two Koreas on Thursday (Sept. 4) exchanged the search results for kin of 200 candidates chosen from each side to take part in the eighth inter-Korean family reunions.
  • Inter-Korean Family Reunions Due Late Sept. Korea-Net 04 Sep 2003 -- South Korea's Red Cross said on Wednesday (Sept. 3) that it has located the South Korean relatives of 187 North Koreans eligible for family reunions scheduled later this month.
  • US Says 6-Way Talks Should Continue Korea-Net 03 Sep 2003 -- The United States expressed satisfaction Tuesday with last week's six-way talks on North Korea's nuclear weapons program, saying the multilateral process was valuable and should continue, Yonhap reported.
  • Roh Praises Beijing's Role in Nuke Issue Korea-Net 03 Sep 2003 -- President Roh Moo-hyun on Wednesday (Sept. 3) called on China to continue its efforts toward resolving the standoff over North Korea's nuclear programs.
  • FM Heads for Washington Tuesday Korea-Net 02 Sep 2003 -- Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yoon Young-kwan will leave for Washington on Tuesday (Sept. 2) to consult U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell about the future course of action in dealing with North Korea's nuclear program, ministry officials said.
  • KOREA/NUCLEAR VOA 01 Sep 2003 -- South Korea is calling for diplomatic efforts to resolve the North Korean nuclear crisis, as it downplays negative comments from Pyongyang. Also, China is urging the United States to do more to facilitate the next round of talks.
  • Overland Mt. Geumgang Tours to Resume ROK Ministry of Unification 01 Sep 2003 -- Overland tours to North Korea’s Mt. Geumgang on the east coast will resume Monday (Sept. 1), the Yonhap News Agency reported quoting tour operator Hyundai Asan said.
  • Rumsfeld to Make Maiden Trip to Seoul ROK Ministry of Unification 01 Sep 2003 -- U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld will visit Seoul for the annual ROK-U.S. Security Consultative Meeting in October, an official from Defense Ministry said on Sunday (Aug. 31).