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Weekly Update on the Status of North Korea (June 10~16, 2005)

ROK Ministry of Unification

Internal Affairs

North Korean leader Kim Jong-il visited the 4.25 Artistic Movie Studio and viewed the newly created light comedy titled ‘Life’ with People’s Army’s Chief of Staff Kim Young-chun, People’s Army’s Executive Officer of Force Kim Il-chul, and the Party’s secretary Kim Kuk-tae, and Kim Ki-nam, according to the Central Broadcasting Station & Pyongyang Broadcasting Service.

June 11 th edition of North Korea’s Rodong Daily, in its editorial titled “Working hard on the grand march under the phrase of all for one and one for all, reiterated the importance of sticking to collectivism and North Korean style socialism, according to the Central Broadcasting Station on June 11.

 

The total amount of North Korean trade with Japan and China from Jan. to Apr. of this year accounted for U.S.$540 million dollars (export volume: U.S.$200 million, import volume: U.S.$340 million), up 47.9% from same period last year.

• Total trade volume with China reached U.S.$470 million showing a 69.5% increase from the same period last year
• Total trade volume with Japan reached U.S.$65 million showing a 22.9% decrease from the same period last year

• Rice planting in most rice paddies in North Korea have been completed with the exception of the area under farmland for semiannual crops and the provinces of Jagang, Yanggang, and alpine regions in Hamgyongbukdo province, according to the Joongang Broadcasting System.

• North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-il delivered his thanks to the entire agriculture laborers for obtaining significant results from the spring season farming and also thanked the soldiers, laborers, office workers, students, and members of family that contributed in supporting North Korea’s agriculture industry, said the Central Broadcasting Station on June 16.

• Recently the North Korean government has been actively supporting to improve the basic infrastructure of Hoeryong of Hamgyongbukdo province, Kim Jong-il’s natural mother Kim Jong- suk’s home town, according to the Democratic Chosun on June 5.

Inter-Korean Affairs

• North and South Korea ’s representatives and the non-government representatives will be visiting Pyong-yang from June 13 until June 17 to attend the National Unification Festival marking the 5 th anniversary of the 6.15 Joint Declaration.
• Unification Minister Chung Dong-young with 40 other government representatives and standing chairman Baek nak-chung with 295 other civilian representatives will be visiting North Korea . A total of 335 will participate the event.

• The Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland announced a memorandum titled ‘5 years of glory and dignity Koreans have established by brightening a new era of independent unification under the banner of the historic June 15 Inter-Korean Joint Declaration,’ according to the Central Broadcasting Station & Pyongyang Broadcasting Service.

• The spokesperson for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland made a statement in which he criticized the Dongducheon car accident involving a delivery vehicle belonging to USFK’s 2 nd division (U.S. Forces in Korea) was ‘intentional murder’ and instigated a fight towards anti-America and the withdrawal of U.S. troops, according to the Central Broadcasting Station and Pyongyang Broadcasting Service on June 15.

External Affairs

• The United States criticized North Korea for rejecting the ratification of the Comprehensive Test Ban Treatment, breaking the Non-proliferation Treaty, and using nuclear weapons to overtly threaten the international community, and requested that the government of North Korea abide by the rules of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, according to the Pyongyang Broadcasting Service on June 10.

• The government representatives from Senegal visited North Korea , and after inspecting various places, its head delegate delivered the personal letter signed by the president of Senegal to North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, according to the Central Broadcasting Station and the Pyongyang Broadcasting Service on June 11.

• Regarding United States’ positioning of the Stealth Aircraft in South Korea, the spokesperson for the Central Broadcasting Station made statements like calling it “a prelude to wage a nuclear war against North Korea (the Central Broadcasting Station on June 1), or “intentional attempt to ruin the National Unification Festival (the Pyongyang Broadcasting Service)

• Trade Bank Representatives led by Chosun Trade Bank’s president Oh Gwang-chul left Pyongyang on June 14 th to attend the General Assembly meeting of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in Geneva , Switzerland , according to the Central Broadcasting Service on June 14.