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Weekly on North Korea

ROK Ministry of Unification

Internal Affairs

o North Korea adopted "regulations on the establishment and operation of the Management Office of Mt. Geumgang tourism zone," "regulations on customs of the Mt. Geumgang tourism zone" and "regulations on the entry, stay and residence at the Mt. Geumgang tourism zone" based on the decision by the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium on April 20, according to a report by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 26.

- These regulations are in addition to the two subordinate ones already enacted. They are regulations governing the development of Mt. Geumgang tourism zone and those covering the creation and operation of businesses in the same zone.

o KCNA reported on May 22 that North Korea was enforcing a variety of environmental protection projects in compliance with the themes put forward this year by the World Conservation Union. It said the "biodiversity protection projects" included careful designation and strict management of natural parks, a zone for habitat, natural treasure zones, and nature preservation zones.

o North Korea recently strengthened ideological education for the masses by encouraging participation in class education meetings and holding rallies in Sinuiju, Hamheung and Pyeonggang, Gangwon province, its broadcasting services reported on May 11-24.

o Through an editorial of the Rodong Sinmun on May 25, North Korea urged the military to become the workers of this century by becoming mentally armed, and stressed that living by the "Ganggye Spirit" was to live in a revolutionary martial spirit.

- Chairman Kim Jong-il put forward the "revolutionary martial spirit" of 1996, and to spread the idea, he emphasized that his on-site guidance in Jagang province on January 16-21, 1998 served as an occasion for Jagang provincial residents to develop a drive for self reform during the construction of medium- to small power stations and that they should become a model to others.

o North Korea stepped up the exhibition of export goods by opening the North Korean-Chinese Goods Purchase Center in Pyongyang and by holding a national export goods exhibition in Pyongyang, according to the Heukryeonggang Sinmun on May 10 and the KCNA four days later.

Relations with South Korea

o North Korean broadcasting services reported on May 26 that the first North-South Korean general-level officers' meeting was held at the Mt. Geumgang Guest House. A North Korean delegation led by major general An Ik-san and a South Korean delegation headed by commodore Park Jeong-hwa represented the respective side at the meeting.

- The two sides agreed to hold their second inter-Korean general-level officers' meeting at Mt. Seorak in South Korea on June 3 to continue talks on ways to prevent armed clashes in the West Sea and introduce other military tension-reduction measures.

o Through a statement by its Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland and major news media outlets, North Korea incited South Koreans to engage in anti-U.S. struggles while labeling the American plan to redeploy part of its troops in South Korea to Iraq as a scheme to invade North Korea.

- They also highlighted what they called immorality of the U.S. military, citing abuses of Iraqi prisoners of war by U.S. service personnel and crimes committed in South Korea.

External Affairs

o Chairman Kim Jong-il conferred with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi who visited Pyongyang for talks on implementation of the North Korean-Japanese Pyongyang Declaration and recovery of trust between North Korea and Japan, according to North Korean broadcasting services on May 22.

o A spokesman for the North Korean foreign ministry said the United States had neither qualification nor moral rights to discuss human rights and democracy, according to the KCNA on May 21. He was commenting on a "report on human rights and democracy" the United States released on May 17.

o On the occasion of the 40th anniversary (June 19, 1964) of the kickoff by chairman Kim Jong-il of party projects, North Korean broadcasting services said on May 21 that assemblies, photo exhibitions and film screening were being held in Bulgaria, Mexico and India.