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Weekly on North Korea (July 21-27, 2006)

ROK Ministry of Unification

Internal Affairs

The Central and Pyongyang Broadcasting Station reported on July 26 that North Korea had held a celebrative central reporting meeting to mark the 53rd anniversary of its victory in the national liberation war.

The Central Broadcasting Station reported on July 21 that heavy rain had caused severe human and physical damages in Pyongannamdo (Province), Gangwondo (Province) and Hwanghaenamdo (Province) from July 14 to 16, and North Korea is concentrating on rehabilitating the damaged areas. The detailed reports are following:

There were a lot of casualties in Pyongannamdo. With 6,200 houses and 490 public buildings being destructed and drowned, vast farmlands was also drowned, lost and buried in the same area. 200 roads and bridges and railroad tracks were destroyed and electricity and telecommunication networks were severed.

Gangwondo also suffered from the similar magnitude of damages: 6,000 private houses and 200 public buildings destructed and farmland drowned, lost and buried. Especially, in terms of arable lands, Hwanghaenamdo was the most affected area.

International organizations such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) urgently reported on the flood in North Korea and appealed for assistance to the international community. They are carrying out relief activities in the limited areas they are allowed to access by the North Korean authorities but complaining about difficulties such as lack of relief goods and medicine, and defective disaster rehabilitation systems.

<The casualties and damaged areas >

(As of July 25)

 

	Casualties	Refugees	Damaged houses	Destructed roads	Damaged arable land
Estimate by IFRC	More than 248 people	12,585 households	20,885	172.3km	13,290ha
Estimate by WFP		60,000 people			30,000 ha

The Central Broadcasting Station reported that a delegation from the Russian Railroad Corporation had paid a visit to North Korea and signed a protocol to the effect that the two parties would complete railroad tracks reconstruction between Hasan ( Russia ) and Rajin ( North Korea ) within the end of this year.

North Korea and Russia had agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in connecting Trans-Korean Railroad (TKR)-Trans Siberian Railroad (TSR) during summit talks which had taken place in July, 2000, July 2001 and August 2002 respectively. In accordance with the agreement, the two sides held working-level meetings and carried out the research on the actual conditions of the North Korean railroad.

Afterwards, by holding the North Korea-Russia Cross-border Railroad Committee twice in July 2004 and in August 2005, the two countries discussed the issues regarding the modernization of railroad tracks between Hasan and Rajin and cross-border freight transportation via Hasan and Trumen River . Consequently, the signing of the protocol appears to facilitate the reconstruction of the railroad tracks between Hasan and Rajin which had been in stalemate despite the agreement between North Korea and Russia .

Inter-Korean Affairs

A central reporting meeting was held at People’s Place of Culture on July 21 to mark the 60th anniversary of the formation of ‘the National Unification Democracy Front,’ a North Korean political organization in charge of propaganda toward South Korea .

Foreign Affairs

North Korea ratcheted up its criticism against Japan . According to the Central Broadcasting Station on July 24 and Pyongyang Broadcasting Station on July 25, North Korea , through the comments entitled ‘reckless behavior’ and ‘the villain’s intolerable and mean behavior,’ criticized Japan for suppressing Chochongryon (the Pro-Pyongyang Association of Korean Residents in Japan ).