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Weekly on North Korea (Dec.30, 2005-Jan.6, 2006)

ROK Ministry of Unification

Internal Affairs

North Korea’s Chairman Kim Jong-il started his public activity by giving on-site guidance to the electronic library and gymnasium at Kim Chaek University of Technology.

Meetings related to the New Year’s joint editorial were held by several organizations and institutes in every region to create an atmosphere for inducing the residents to participate and to promote the integration of the system. A mass rally for the accomplishments of the goals detailed in the New Year joint editorial was held in Pyongyang on January 4 along with other rallies held in Pyongbuk, Jagang, and Gangwon Province and also an indignant meeting was held by the Ministry of Personal Security and Ministry of Railways on January 5.

People from the Party, the Military, and the Cabinet paid a visit to the Kumsusan Memorial Palace and held meetings in every sector including a celebration of the New Year and for the youth. .

Inter-Korean Affairs

North Korea insisted on realizing the “three-point patriotic movement” suggested in the New Year’s joint editorial, opposing foreign forces with the spirit of national solidarity, and crushing the neo-conservative’s collusion and challenges by forming an anti-conservative coalition. North Korea, through organizations in charge of inter-Korean relations such as the Committee for the Peaceful Unification of the Fatherland and Anti-imperial National Democracy Front, urged its people to support the ‘three-point patriotic movement’.

Citing the amendment of the Private School Act in South Korea, raising the North Korean human rights issue, and cooperation with foreign countries, North Korea strengthened its level of criticism against the Grand National Party, a South Korean opposition party.

Foreign Affairs

Concerning the U.S.’ financial sanctions on North Korea, North Korea claimed that the Six-Party talks cannot be held while the United States continues to place provocative sanctions and called on the U.S. to take practical measures for the lift of the financial sanctions

• Chairman Kim Jong-il giving on-site guidance to Kim Chaek University of Technology

• Outline

Chairman Kim Jong-il, accompanied by Premier Park Bong-ju, gave on-site guidance to the electronic library and gymnasium newly constructed at Kim Chaek University of Technology, according to the Central Broadcasting Station. Chairman Kim Jong-il paid a visit to the University and urged for the development of scientific technology and cultivation of excellent scientists and technicians.

• Main points

Chairman Kim Jong-il evaluated the electronic library at Kim Chaek University of Technology as the monumental building and a treasure reflecting an aspect of an ideal society and proposed other tasks to be achieved.

In addition, saying that Kim Chaek University of Technology occupies an important place, Chairman Kim Jong-il emphasized the necessity to cultivate scientists and technicians for the construction of a great, prosperous and powerful nation.

• Analysis

Kim Chaek University of Technology located in Chung-ku in a city of Pyongyang was separated from Kim Il-sung University in 1948, established as Pyongyang University of Technology and renamed as Kim Chaek College of Technology. In 1988, the college was elevated to a University. Kim Chaek University of Technology includes 19 undergraduate departments such as machinery, electronics, physics, automation, metals and computer sciences and is a home to ten thousand students receiving science and technology education.

Chairman Kim Jong-il used to initiate his public activity for New Year by giving on-site guidance to military and economic sectors. Last year, the ‘North Korean-Sino Machinery Complex Enterprise’ received his first on-site guidance and Kim Jong-il’s first public activities have been five-time visits to military organizations, five-time visits to economic sectors, one time meeting and six-time visits to others, totaling 17 times since the death of Kim Il-sung.

Chairman Kim Jong-il’s visit to Kim Chaek University of Technology as the first public activity demonstrated his intention to raise the morale of workers in the field of science and technology and to foster competent men.

• North Korea’s criticism against the U.S. regarding U.S. financial sanctions on North Korea

North Korea denounced U.S.’ financial sanctions as the U.S.’ strategy to topple the North Korean regime and insisted on lifting the financial sanctions as a prior condition for resumption of the Six-party talks.

Major criticism

The U.S. sanctions posed towards North Korea is a fundamental factor preventing the advancement of the Six-party talks and poses an obstacle to implement the joint statement and North Korea will not attend the six-party talks and discuss the abandonment of its nuclear deterrence under continued U.S. sanctions, according to the Central Broadcasting Station on January 3, 2006.

The U.S. staged an offence against North Korea by fabricating the North’s international image and exaggerating the North Korean human rights issue and the counterfeit note issue and North Korea denounced that the U.S. acknowledgement for North Korea’s sovereignty and U.S. commitment to peaceful co-existence in the Six-party talks is nothing but a trick, according to Rodong Sinmun on January 4.

The U.S.’ new military strategy is very dangerous because of their ambition to dominate the world under the name of anti-terrorism and North Korea plans to strengthen its physical deterrence under the circumstances that the U.S. military plot against North Korea becomes more obvious, according to Rodong Sinmun on January 5.

The U.S.’ financial sanctions and the Six-party talks are closely interrelated and the resumption of the Six-Party talks will be impossible as long as the U.S. avoids the bilateral talks on the lift of the sanctions, according to the Pyongyang Broadcasting Station on January 6.

Inferred from the fact that North Korea relates the Six-Party talks to the U.S. financial sanctions, the possibility for continued Six-party talks to be held is difficult to predict.