Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD)

A national athletes' meeting was held at the People's Palace of Culture on March 29. The meeting was attended by Kim Jung Rin, secretary of the Central Committee of the WPK, Kwak Pom Gi, vice-premier of the Cabinet, officials of athletic committees from each province, city and county, as well as members of industries, businesses, joint farms, schools, and various athletes and directors. (March 29, Central Broadcasting Station)

Kim Jong Il paid an inspection visit to a women's force under KPA unit 1056 that was honored with the title of Twice Three-Revolution Red Flag, and ordered soldiers to beef up combat capabilities. He was accompanied by KPA generals Ri Myong Su, Hyon Chyol Hae, Pak Jae Kyong and WPK Central Committee member Ri Yong Chol. (April 2, Central Broadcasting Station)

A delegation from the Communist Party of China (CPC) arrived in Pyongyang on March 30 for a goodwill visit to the DPRK. The delegation, headed by Zheng Xinli, deputy director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee, was received at the airport by DPRK counterparts and the Chinese ambassador to the DPRK, among others.

A foreign ministry spokesperson said, regarding recent developments in Taiwan, "Regardless of the election results, the government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing the whole of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of China."

The Secretariat for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland issued information bulletin No. 864, bitterly denouncing the US' announcement that it would deploy Aegis to the East sea on a permanent basis, "The US war hawks' moves to deploy the state-of-the-art Aegis is a dangerous military provocation that can lead the situation on the Korean peninsula and the region into the worst phase."

The Central Broadcasting Station reported on March 30, "The 9th reunion of separated families began at Mt. Kumgang Resort.  Separated families and relatives from the North had a collective meeting with those from the South in accordance with the agreement between the Red Cross organizations of both sides."

A spokesperson for the DPRK Red Cross Society denounced Seoul in a statement, strongly calling for the earliest possible return of unconverted long-term prisoners. The statement said, "Recently, the United States and the rightist conservatives in South Korea have been taking issue with human rights conditions in the DPRK as if such issues actually exist in North Korea. However, they should stop crying over others' 'human rights issues' and solve their own serious human rights problems first, by repatriating unconverted long-term prisoners such as Jong Sun Dok, an elderly lady, who demand their repatriation to the DPRK."