DATE=09/03/98
TYPE=U-S WORLD OPINION ROUNDUP
NUMBER=6-10895
TITLE= NORTH KOREA'S MISSILE TEST GETS ATTENTION
BYLINE=ANDREW N. GUTHRIE
TELEPHONE=619-3335
DATELINE=WASHINGTON
EDITOR=ASSIGNMENTS
CONTENT=
INTRO: CLEARLY, ONE OF THE WEEK'S MAJOR FOREIGN POLICY ISSUES
WAS THE UNEXPECTED TEST OF THE LATEST NORTH KOREAN MEDIUM-RANGE
MISSILE, THE DAEPODONG ONE, WHICH HAS A RANGE OF ABOUT
19-HUNDRED-AND-30-KILOMETERS. THAT'S FAR ENOUGH TO HIT ALL OF
SOUTH KOREA, ALMOST ALL OF INHABITED JAPAN, AND EVEN THE CAPITAL
OF TAIWAN, TAIPEI, WITH A NUCLEAR WARHEAD OR POISON GAS.
IF THE NORTH KOREAN GOAL WAS TO GET THE WORLD'S ATTENTION, IN THE
MIDST OF THE MONICA LEWINSKY SCANDAL IN THEW UNITED STATES, AND
THE MELTDOWN OF THE RUSSIAN ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL SYSTEMS
ABROAD, THAT GOAL WAS ACHIEVED.
VERY FEW DAILIES OF ANY SIZE AROUND THE WORLD, FAILED TO COMMENT
ON THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TEST, AND WE ARE JOINED AT THE
MICROPHONE NOW BY _______________ WHO HAS A SAMPLING, IN TODAY'S
WORLD OPINION ROUNDUP.
TEXT: THE MISSILE TEST FOLLOWED RECENT REPORTS THAT NORTH KOREA
HAS RESUMED CONSTRUCTION OF AN UNDERGROUND NUCLEAR WEAPONS
FACILITY NEAR THE YONGBYON NUCLEAR PLANT, AND THE WORD THAT ONE
OF ITS SUBMARINES INFILTRATED SOUTH KOREAN WATER BEFORE RUNNING
INTO TROUBLE. THAT PROMPTED THE EDITORIAL BOARD AT SEOUL'S
PRO-BUSINESS "JOONG ANG-ILBO" TO COMMENT THAT "RAPPROCHEMENT IT
NOT LIKELY TO COME EASILY ON THE [KOREAN] PENINSULA. THE NORTH
SEEMS MORE INTERESTED IN AN OFFENSIVE DIPLOMACY THAN IN
ENHANCING PEACE AND COEXISTENCE WITH THE SOUTH BY WAY OF A
DIALOGUE."
SOME NEWSPAPERS SAW THIS AS A KIND OF ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN FOR
NORTH KOREAN MISSILE SALES, WHILE OTHERS FIGURED IT WAS A SORT OF
SHOW OF FORCE OR CELEBRATION MARKING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE
FOUNDING OF NORTH KOREA ON SEPTEMBER 9TH. IT IS WIDELY EXPECTED
THAT THE SON OF THE FOUNDER KIM IL SUNG , KIM JONG-IL WILL BE
NAMED "PARAMOUNT LEADER" OF THE SECRETIVE STALINIST STATE DURING
THE ANNIVERSARY CEREMONIES.
WITH THAT AS BACKGROUND, WE BEGIN OUR SAMPLING OF PRESS COMMENT
IN PYONGYANG, WITH THE OFFICIAL NORTH KOREAN NEWS AGENCY KCNA
WHICH SAID IN PART:
VOICE: THEY [THE JAPANESE] DESCRIBE THE TEST AS SOMETHING
'REGRETTABLE' AND 'DANGEROUS,' AND CLAIM THAT THE TEST
MADE IT DIFFICULT TO IMPROVE RELATIONS WITH [NORTH
KOREA] ... JAPAN'S BEHAVIOR IS RIDICULOUS INDEED, IN
VIEW OF THE FACT THAT JAPAN IS ZEALOUSLY DEVELOPING
LONG-DISTANCE VEHICLES AND OTHER UP-TO-DATE WEAPONS AND
PAVING THE WAY FOR OVERSEAS AGGRESSION ..... MANY
COUNTRIES AROUND JAPAN POSSESS OR HAVE DEPLOYED
MISSILES. JAPANESE POLITICIANS, HOWEVER, HURL MUD ONLY
AT [NORTH KOREA] ...
TEXT: IN THE SOUTH, THE SEOUL PAPERS WERE FULL OF REACTION AS
ONE WOULD EXPECT. "JOONG-ANG-ILBO" RAN THIS OP-ED PIECE BY
YONSEI UNIVERSITY PROFESSOR LEE CHONG-MIN:
VOICE: OBVIOUSLY, THE [MISSILE] TEST ... HAS THE POTENTIAL TO
FUNDAMENTALLY MODIFY WHATEVER POWER BALANCE THERE IS
CURRENTLY ON THE KOREAN PENINSULA ... THE SUCCESS OF THE
TEST NOW DICTATES THAT THE NORTH IS IN FULL POSSESSION
OF THE CAPABILITY TO REACH BEYOND THE PENINSULA. ... A
RAPPROCHEMENT IS NOT LIKELY TO COME EASILY ON THIS
PENINSULA, AS THE NORTH SEEMS MUCH MORE INTERESTED IN AN
OFFENSIVE DIPLOMACY THAN IN ENHANCING PEACE AND
CO-EXISTENCE WITH THE SOUTH BY WAY OF DIALOGUE.
TEXT: THE NATION'S LARGEST DAILY, "CHOSUN ILBOD" COMMENTED:
VOICE: ... THE TAEPO DONG MISSILE TEST CARRIES A ... GRAVE
IMPLICATION ... A REALISTIC RECONSIDERATION OF OUR
POLICY AND DIPLOMATIC SKILLS TO BUILD EFFECTIVE
COOPERATION AMONG OUR ALLIES ARE WHAT WE NEED MOST.
TEXT: LASTLY, IN SOUTH KOREA, ANOTHER MAJOR SEOUL DAILY,
"HANKOOK ILBO" THE REACTION INCLUDED THIS:
VOICE: WHILE NORTH KOREA'S LATEST MISSILE TEST MAY SIMPLY BE AN
ISSUE OF ITS INTERNAL POLITICAL AND MILITARY CONFLICT,
ITS RIPPLE EFFECT WON'T BE TRIVIAL, GIVEN ALL THE EFFORT
THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY HAS PUT INTO HOLDING THE
NORTH'S MISSILE PROGRAM IN CHECK ...
TEXT: THE JAPANESE REACTION WAS QUITE STRONG AS WELL, IN PART
BECAUSE THE MISSILE FLEW OVER THE MAIN ISLAND OF HONSHU, BEFORE
FALLING INTO THE PACIFIC. IN TOKYO, THE LARGEST DAILY PAPER IN
THE WORLD, "YOMIURI" EDITORIALIZED:
VOICE: JAPAN REMAINS IN UTTER SHOCK FOLLOWING NORTH KOREA'S
TEST-FIRING ... THE GOVERNMENT HAD REPORTEDLY RECEIVED
INFORMATION THAT THE NORTH'S MISSILE LAUNCH WOULD BE
IMMINENT. HOWEVER, NORTH KOREA FIRED THE MISSILE IN
TOTAL DEFIANCE OF THE JAPANESE REQUEST .... THAT IT NOT
CONDUCT SUCH A TEST.
TEXT: ACROSS TOKYO, "ASAHI" COMMENTED:
VOICE: ONE ANALYSIS SURMISES THAT THE NORTH KOREANS LAUNCHED
THE MISSILE TO 'INFLUENCE' THE JUST-RESUMED SENIOR-LEVEL
U-S-NORTH KOREA TALKS IN NEW YORK. THERE IS ALSO
SPECULATION THAT THE NORTH TRIED TO SECURE A FURTHER
COMPROMISE FROM THE UNITED STATES AT A TIME WHEN
AMERICAN OIL SHIPMENTS TO PYONGYANG HAVE BEEN SUSPENDED
...
TEXT: AND LASTLY, IN JAPAN, "NIHON KEIZAI" EDITORALIZED IN
PART:A
VOICE: WHATEVER THE REASON, WE CANNOT BUT CALL THE NORTH KOREAN
MOTIVE EXTREMELY REGRETTABLE ...
TEXT: JUMPING TO NORTH AMERICA, TORONTO'S "GLOBE AND MAIL" ONE
OF CANADA'S MOST INFLUENTIAL DAILIES, NOTED:
VOICE: THE NORTH KOREAN MISSILE THAT FLEW OVER JAPAN ON MONDAY
SPLASHED DOWN SOMEWHERE IN THE PACIFIC, BUT IT MIGHT AS
WELL HAVE CRASH-LANDED ON THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION'S
KOREAN POLICY.... WHAT DOES NORTH KOREA WANT? IT HAS
VIRTUALLY NO STAKE IN THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY OR
INTERNATIONAL TRADE; IT IS AN ALMOST COMPLETELY ISOLATED
COUNTRY WHOSE ONLY SIGNIFICANT EXPORT IS WEAPONS ...BUT
IT IS CUNNING AND CALCULATING. THIS MISSILE TEST IS
SIMPLY ANOTHER THREAT ....
TEXT: TURNING TO THE MIDDLE EAST, "AL AHRAM" IN CAIRO, ONE OF
THE MOST INFLUENTIAL ARABIC LANGUAGE DAILIES IN THE WORLD, AND
EGYPT'S LARGEST, SUGGESTED THURSDAY [9/3]:
VOICE: THE MISSILE LAUNCHED BY NORTH KOREA RAISED BROAD
INTERNATIONAL REACTIONS. IT IS AN INDICATION OF NORTH
KOREA'S RISING CAPABILITY IN MISSILE PRODUCTION AND
EXPANDING DETERRENCE ABILITY. BUT THERE IS EXAGGERATION
IN THE REACTIONS [TO IT] BECAUSE THE FAR EAST AND THE
WHOLE WORLD ARE FULL OF MISSILES.
TEXT: AND IN EUROPE, "THE TIMES" IN LONDON IS UPSET BY WHAT IT
PERCEIVES AS U-S WEAKNESS IN THE FACE OF NORTH KOREA'S GROWING
BELLIGERENCE.
VOICE: [NORTH KOREA'S MISSILE LAUNCH] IS A PROFOUNDLY
DESTABILIZING DEVELOPMENT ... HUMORING PYONGYANG STILL
SEEMS TO BE AMERICAN POLICY. [U-S SECRETARY OF STATE]
MADELEINE ALBRIGHT HAS MERELY EXPRESSED 'CONCERN' ...
THE HARDER PYONGYANG PROBES THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION,
THE SOFTER IT FINDS IT. ... CONTAINMENT CAN MAKE SENSE
ONLY IF IT CONTAINS.
TEXT: AND IN LATIN AMERICA, THERE WAS ALSO A GOOD DEAL OF
CONCERN. IN SANTIAGO, CHILE'S MAJOR DAILY "EL MERCURIO" HAD THIS
REACTION THURSDAY [9/23].
VOICE: PYONGYANG'S DECISION TO LAUNCH A MISSILE OVER JAPANESE
TERRITORY OPENS A NEW AND MORE DANGEROUS STAGE IN THE
PROLIFERATION OF THESE WEAPONS. IT ALSO SHOWS ONCE
AGAIN HOW UNTRUSTWORTHY IS THIS GOVERNMENT, WHOSE
REPRESENTATIVES WERE NEGOTIATING WITH THE UNITED STATES
AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. ... THE UNITED STATES
SHOULD NOT ALLOW THIS AGGRESSION TO CHANGE ITS DEMANDS
TOWARD THE NORTH KOREAN GOVERNMENT.
TEXT: ON THAT NOTE, WE CONCLUDE THIS SAMPLING OF GLOBAL OPINION
REGARDING THE TEST FIRING EARLIER THIS WEEK OF A MEDIUM RANGE
NORTH KOREAN MISSILE. (SIGNED)
NEB/ANG/PT
03-Sep-98 7:26 PM EDT (2326 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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