Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

The North Korean Broadcasting Station propagandized on February 17 that ¡°the army-based policy of Kim Jong Il is a ¡®policy of possibilities¡¯ in that even the weakest nation may rise to become the strongest¡± and ¡°we have responded to the nuclear standoff vis-à-vis the U.S. with a consistent ultra-hard line stance and we believe that the victory will be ours.¡±  

Rodong Shinmun, in its February 23 editorial entitled ¡°Unwavering Revolutionary Principle of Our People,¡± stressed that ¡°the revolutionary principle of the Korean people does not allow any concessions or compromises to be made with the enemies on issues of fundamental interest to the revolution.¡±

The spokesperson for the Panmunjom Mission of the North Korean People's Army asserted in a statement issued on February 17 that ¡°if a situation arises in which the U.S. beefs up its forces in and around the Korean peninsula in order to launch an attack on the DPRK or imposes sanctions of any kind against the DPRK, we, as a signatory to the Armistice Agreement, will have no choice but to take the decisive measure of abandoning our commitment to uphold it and free ourselves from the binding force of all its provisions.¡±

Pyongyang Broadcasting Station criticized Japan on February 19 by asserting that ¡°Japanese reactionaries are strengthening their readiness vis-à-vis the DPRK under the pretext that we may possibly launch a ballistic missile attack.

Rodong Shinmun criticized the joint military exercises held every year by the South Korea-U.S. armed forces, claiming in its editorial on February 19 that ¡°the belligerent forces in South Korea and the U.S. are engaged in a campaign to launch a military attack on us¡± and ¡°there are no guarantees that a military exercise of such magnitude will not evolve into a northbound war.¡±

A North Korean MIG jet fighter (assumed to be a MIG-19) intruded into the Northern Border Line at 10:03 a.m. on February 20 and returned to the north three minutes afterwards.

Korean Central Broadcasting Station reported on February 20 that ¡°Jang Jae On, chairman of the Central Committee of the North Korean Red Cross Society sent a message of condolence to his South Korean counterpart Suh Yong Hoon through Panmunjom on February 20 concerning the tragic subway fire which broke out in Daegu city on February 18.

Pyongyang Broadcasting Station reported on February 20 that ¡°the sixth round of reunion of separated families took place at Mt. Kumgang resort on February 20¡± and ¡°the South Korean visitors attended an acrobatic performance presented by our circus group.¡±