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Major Weekly Developments in North Korea (November 22 - 28, 2004)

ROK National Intelligence Service

Inside North Korea

Kim Jong Il, accompanied by Ri Myong Su, Hyon Chol Hae, Kim Kuk Thae and Kim Ki Nam, paid inspection visits to KPA unit No. 109, designated as the 7th Ojungheup Regiment, and the “Kim Il Sop Heroic Company” (date unreported) and ordered soldiers to beef up combat capabilities (Nov. 23, Central Broadcasting Station).

The Central Broadcasting Station propagandized on Nov. 26 that they have recently built mosaic murals of images of great North Korean leaders such as “Vegetables” in Oryu-ri, Dong-gu; “Comrade Kim Il Sung Will Forever Remain in People’s Hearts” in Guseong City and Pakchon-gun; “Comrade Kim Il Sung Forever With Us” in Ryongchon-gun; and “Comrades Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il’s Visit to a Harvest Field” in Bosok-ri, Unjon-gun.

International Issues

In its recent editorial titled “A Matter of Washington’s Shift in Policy and Commitment to Peaceful Coexistence” (date unreported), Rodong Sinmun claimed, “What keeps the six-way talks from being held is Washington’s hostile policy against Pyongyang, which is aimed at overturning our regime, and not Pyongyang’s insistence on bilateral talks with the U.S.” (Nov. 23, Central Broadcasting Station)

The Central Broadcasting Station criticized Washington and Tokyo on Nov. 27, saying, "As Washington and Tokyo seek to jointly produce missiles as a part of their attempt at military integration among Japan and the U.S., Japan’s Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported on Nov. 23 that Japan and the U.S. have agreed in principle on the licensed production of Patriot Advanced Capability-3 surface-to-air missiles in Japan.”

Inter-Korean Issues

Pyongyang Broadcasting Service condemned Seoul on Nov. 24, saying, "During his recent visit to the U.S., the South Korean Foreign Minister made the outrageous remark that unless the nuclear issue is resolved, it is unlikely that there could be any large-scale economic exchanges between the two Koreas. It is evidence that Seoul places priority on its alliance with the U.S. rather than on inter-Korean cooperation.”

With regards to the South Korean authorities’ actions to prohibit South Koreans from accessing North Korean websites, the Central Committee for the DPRK Journalists’ League issued a statement claiming, "If the South Korean authorities continue with their undemocratic actions in disregard of the people’s aspirations for unification, we will regard it as an act completely nullifying inter-Korean relations.” (Nov. 26, Central Broadcasting Station)

A spokesperson for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland issued a statement regarding South Korea’s “Cooperative Self-Reliant Defense Plan,” saying, "With the South Korean Defense Ministry’s so-called ‘Cooperative Self-Reliance Defense Plan’ announced on Nov. 18 in the name of pursuing forward-looking development with the U.S., Seoul is recklessly pushing the Korean peninsula into an extremely precarious situation that could trigger a war, which is entirely contrary to the aspirations of all Koreans.” (Nov. 26, Central Broadcasting Station)