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Weekly on North Korea (Jan.7-Jan.12, 2006)

ROK Ministry of Unification

Internal Affairs

Chairman Kim Jong-il watched a New Year’s celebrative performance called ‘My Country’s Blue Sky’ and received students at a kindergarten in Shinuiju city on Jan. 6 and held a banquet for North Korean students residing in Japan .

Meetings and gatherings were held to carry out the tasks suggested in the New Year’s Joint Editorial in all regions and organizations.

Inter-Korean Affairs

Unconverted long-term prisoners sent to the North submitted a letter of indictment to the National Human Rights Commission of (South) Korea , calling for the compensation by the South Korean authorities for its human rights abuses.

North Korea condemned South Korean pro-American conservative forces as ardent followers of the U.S. ’ policy to stifle North Korea and stirred up grand unity of progressive forces.

External Affairs

A spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the press conference with the Central Broadcasting Station stated that the U.S. financial sanctions were not based on facts, calling on the U.S. to lift sanctions and come back to the Six-party talks if it wishes for advancement in the talks.

North Korea claimed that Japan ’s participation in joint development of the U.S.-Japan joint missile defense system is a step on a path to become military power and to stage preemptive strikes against North Korea . On the other hand, it claimed that siding with the U.S. plot against North Korea concerning its human rights issues, Japan is trying to scrap the issue of settling its past with North Korea .

 

1. North Korea ’s emphasis on the necessity of its guidance to upgrade technology in People’s economy

North Korea , through the editorial of Rodong Sinmun on Jan.9 stressed the necessity of the reconstruction and modernization of technology in the national economy based on science and technology.

The main points are as follows. The development process of an economy is the development of science and technology, and the process of upgrade and modernization of technological tools. ‘The guidance on the upgrade and the modernization of technology in the national economy’ is a good principle to give fullest play of the superiority of a self-reliant economy and a basic way to improve the living standards of people through increase in production. It will guarantee the achievement of the advanced level of economic development by upgrading the nation’s science and technology by leaps and bounds.

North Korea , through its ‘New Year Joint Editorial’, put forward the upgrade and modernization as the major economic strategy in the national economy and stressed the need for the renovation and modernization of facilities of practical use under the principle of self-reliance.

Recently North Korea has focused on the normalization of production through the renovation of major industrial facilities and the building of growth potentials. By putting emphasis on the necessity of rebuilding and modernizing the People’s economy, it seems to urge its people to achieve tasks suggested in its ‘New Year Joint Editorial’.

1. The North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs demanding the lift of the U.S. financial sanctions, and bilateral talks between North Korea and the U.S.

Outline

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through its interview with the (North) Korean Central News Agency, called for resumption of the Six-party talks, negating the U.S.-suggested evidence of its involvement in illicit transactions, according to the Agency on Jan. 8.

Main Points

The main points are as follows.

The North Korean nuclear issue derives from the U.S. ’ hostile policy against Chosun ( North Korea ). The key to its resolution lies in the discontinuation of the U.S. ’ hostile policy and a step toward co-existence.

It doesn’t make a sense that North Korea discusses the issue of giving up nuclear deterrence which has been built for self-defense in the current situation with the offensive U.S.

The examination of the documents given to North Korea by the U.S. does not confirm any accusations the U.S. made against North Korea . There will be no reason for the U.S. to sit down with North Korea and confirm the facts if the financial sanctions are based on scientific facts and materials.

If the U.S. genuinely is interested in the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula and advances in the Six-party talks, the U.S. should lift its financial sanctions and come back to the Six-party talks.

Evaluation

In the press conference by a spokesperson from the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, North Korea highlighted its claim that the U.S.’ suggested evidence related to North Korea’s illicit activities is groundless, and emphasized its innocence. The press conference aims to demonstrate the justness of its position that the resumption of Six-party talks requires the lift of sanctions on North Korea as a prior condition, and to call on the U.S. to resolve issues related to North Korean illegal activities through bilateral talks between North Korea and the U.S.

North Korea’s attitude appeared to intend to dilute the criticism of the international community targeted at North Korea caused by its alleged involvement in illicit activities and delays in resumption of the Six-party talks , and to induce the U.S.’ favorable response to the early host of bilateral talks between North Korea and the U.S.

1. North Korea and Vietnam signing an agreement on standardization, measurement and quality control

The Central Broadcasting Station reported North Korea and Vietnam signed an agreement on cooperation in standardization, measurement and quality control in Hanoi , Vietnam on Jan. 10.

North Korea has put forward the improvement of scientific quality control’ as one of major economic tasks since the 7.1 Economic Reform Measures were implemented and put emphasis on profit-orientation in economic projects through the improvement of its quality in compliance with international standards, and the realization of standardization in production internally. North Korea stressed the administrative work for scientific technology, standardization, and quality control in the 2005 ‘New Year’s Joint Editorial’ and the Cabinet’s briefing on its work at the third meeting of the Supreme People’s Assembly during its 11 th term. Following that, North Korea put emphasis on the economization through standardization of production in economic sectors. In foreign relations, North Korea stepped up its efforts to strengthen cooperative ties with foreign countries in enhancing the standardization including agreements on quality control with China , Vietnam and Russia . In November, 2003, the accord on cooperation in the standardization, measurement and quality control between North Korea and Vietnam was reached, which was followed by the bilateral agreement for cooperation from 2005-2006 between North Korea and Russia, the agreement for cooperation from 2005-2006 between North Korea and China.

The agreement between North Korea and Vietnam this year is a follow-up measure to the accord reached in April, 2004 and appears to be made in order to strengthen bilateral ties in quality control through the scientific standardization.