• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

Major Weekly Developments in North Korea (December 13 - 19, 2004)

ROK National Intelligence Service

Inside North Korea

Accompanied by Lee Myeong-su, Hyeon Cheol-hae, Park Jae-gyeong and others, Kim Jeong-il visited (date unreported) the military bases of the 153·448th battalion of the North Korean People’s Army, ordering them to “strengthen combat capabilities.” He also visited (date unreported) the Seongjin Steel Union Company, the construction site of the Eurang-cheon (River) Power Plant, and the amusement park of Mt. Chilbo-san with Hong Seok-hyeon, Kim Ki-nam and others, and laid flowers on the grave of the late Tae Sun-hee (Dec. 13, Dec. 15-18, Central Broadcasting Station).

In an article titled, The 93rd Year of Juche: Enlightening the Century of Kim Jeong-il, the Central Broadcasting Station (Dec. 18) announced, “Each and every moment that General Kim Jeong-il engaged in international activities this year was mighty enough to move the world and create history.”

International Issues

At a press conference (Dec. 13) with the Joseon Central News Agency, the spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry emphasized that “since the cowardly psychological warfare recently waged by the US is becoming worse than ever, we have no choice but to reconsider whether to participate in talks with the US. (Dec.13, Pyeongyang Broadcasting Service).”

Regarding the “DNA test results of the remains of Japanese abductees to North Korea,” the spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry asserted on December 14, “as long as the Japanese extreme right-wingers continue to carry out well-planned maneuvers to provoke the Republic, we (North Korea) will thoroughly reconsider our participation to the six-party talks involving Japan (Dec. 14, Central Broadcasting Station).”

Inter-Korean Issues

The Pyeongyang Broadcasting Service (Dec.15) briefly reported that “the opening ceremony of the first pilot factory at the 1st stage development area (total area: 1 million pyeong or 3.3 million m2) of the Gaeseong Industrial Park took place on December 15, with the participation of Joo Dong-chan, Chief Director of the Central Special Zone Development Supervisory Agency, and other members from our side (North Korea) as well as Hyun Jeong-eun, CEO and president of Hyundai Asan Corporation; president Kim Yoon-gyu; Kim Jae-hyun, president of the Korea Land Corporation; and other corporate representatives from the south.”

The Pyeongyang Broadcasting Service (Dec.19) stated, “Through unprecedented efforts against US nuclear war maneuvers, the people of South Korea have designated this year as ‘the year of anti-America and anti-war’ and ‘the year to make a decisive turnover for independent unification’ waging strong waves of anti-Americanism and anti-war movements.”