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North Korea's National Defense Commission Chairman Kim Jong-il welcomed visiting Russian president Vladimir Putin personally at the airport, accompanied by Kim Young-nam, Cho Myung-rok, Kim Il-chul, Chun Byung-ho, Choi Taebok, and other party and government notables. Chairman Kim was also present at the airport to bid farewell the following day.
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A Worker's Daily editorial placed great significance to the first-ever visit by a Russian head of state, touting it as `an event of great importance that will facilitate new relations between North Korea and Russia'. The visit was concluded with the signing of a joint declaration consisting of eleven articles between the two countries.
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North Korea's Central Broadcasting reported a meeting between North Korea's foreign minister and the US secretary of state on June 26th to discuss bilateral issues, ahead of the Asian Regional Forum session on the 27th.
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North Korea's propaganda organ, The National Democratic Front, kept up its usual diatribe concerning inter-Korean issues, blasting the USFK decision to postpone the announced apology visit as an `attempt to justify their illegal release of formaldehyde into the Han River', and urged that `the entire nation must arise in a struggle for abolishment of the National Security Law and the withdrawal of the USFK', which the organization blamed as the `chief cause of misunderstanding and mistrust between the two Koreas'.
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WEEKLY NK NEWS (2000.7.17 - 2000.7.23)
