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North Korea Weekly (July 30-August 5, 2007)

ROK National Intelligence Service

Inside North Korea

o On July 30, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, “The election of deputies to Local People’s Assemblies in provinces, cities and counties were successfully held in all electoral districts in thorough compliance with individual Local People’s Assembly Election Laws.”

- The KCNA added, “According to election results gathered by individual election committees, 99.82% of eligible voters turned out, while 100% of those who cast a ballot voted in favor of [all] candidates for the post of deputy to provincial, municipal and county People’s Assemblies.”

o On July 31, North Korean Central TV reported, “Beginning August 1, the grand mass gymnastics and artistic performance Arirang will be performed at Pyongyang’s May Stadium to mark the 95th anniversary of the birth of Kim Il-seong.”

o (July 31–August 5) The KCNA said, “Kim Jeong-il paid a series of visits to military bases and hospitals”:

- On July 31, “Kim Jeong-il visited a sub-unit of Korean People’s Army (KPA) Unit 4318. Accompanied by Hwang Pyong-so and Kim Sung-yon, vice department directors of the WPK Central Committee, he toured many places on the sub-unit site, including its education room, quarters, canteen, outdoor resting place, barn and greenhouse.” On August 1, Kim paid an inspection visit to the command of KPA Combined Unit 264.

- On August 2, Kim Jeong-il inspected KPA Unit 136, along with Generals Hyon Chol-hae and Ri Myong-su. On August 5, Kim also provided on-site guidance at the newly built North Hamgyong Provincial People's Hospital. He was accompanied by Kim Ki-nam and Pak Nam-gi, secretary and department director of the WPK Central Committee, respectively, as well as Hong Sok-hyong, chief secretary of the North Hamgyong Provincial Committee of the WPK.

Outside North Korea

o Pertaining to the crushing defeat suffered by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in upper house elections on July 29:

- On July 30, the Chosun Sinbo, or The People’s Korea, the organ of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan, insisted, “The crushing defeat suffered by the LDP is an eruption of voters’ distrust and anger. The people’s judgment has been handed down, and our common sense and conventions tell us that [Prime Minister Shinzo] Abe should voluntarily step down.” The newspaper went on to denounce Japan by saying, “The party had tried to fully exploit the issues concerning North Korea, including the kidnapping issue, going so far as to employ the election tactic of claiming that a defeat for the LDP would only please North Korea, but to no avail.”

- On August 3, North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun published a commentary titled “Impartial Ruling of the People” in which it contended, “The Liberal Democratic Party’s crushing defeat in upper house polls on the 29th of last month was a natural outcome of the Abe regime’s political incompetence and anti-people policies, as well as a result of its anti-Korea policy.”

o On August 5, the North Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) reported, “Foreign Minister Pak Ui-chun, who is taking part in the 14th ASEAN regional security forum, said, ‘One of the main factors of instability present in Asia today is none other than Japan,’ and castigated Japan by stating, ‘Japan’s suppression of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) is a serious provocation of us [North Korea] and an infringement on our [North Korea’s] sovereignty,’ while Pak contended, ‘It is our [North Korea’s] firm stand that the nuclear issue be resolved through dialogue and consultation. And the denuclearization of the Korean peninsula is an issue directly related to an end and revocation of hostile US policy and nuclear threats directed at the DPRK.’ ”

Inter-Korean Issues

o On August 1, the North’s Pyongyang Broadcasting Service (PBS) stressed, “[One cannot imagine] a reunification of the nation without North-South harmony and the great unity of the entire nation. The nation’s united power is the engine for realizing the reunification of our fatherland. Practical conditions and possibilities are in place for our nation to achieve unity.”

o On August 2, a spokesperson for the [North] Korean Students’ Committee issued a statement defining the upcoming South Korea-US Ulchi Focus Lens (UFL) as a provocation. The statement claimed, “At this time, when agreements made at the six-party talks are being implemented and when the Korean people’s expectations for the peace and reunification of the nation are running higher, the US and South Korea are once again set to launch a military exercise to attack North Korea, revealing their hidden intention to crush us [North Korea],” and condemned the exercise as “an unacceptable provocation to drive the situation on the Korean peninsula toward confrontation.”