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North Korea Weekly (August 27-September 2, 2007)

ROK National Intelligence Service

Inside North Korea

o On August 28, North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun featured an editorial to mark the 80th anniversary of the Korean Young Communist League, which was allegedly founded by Kim Il-seong on August 28, 1927, that stated, “The traditions of devotedly safeguarding the leader and uniting with one heart were the lifeline of Korea’s youth movement.” The editorial went on to emphasize, “[We] ought to follow Kim Jeong-il with a united, passionate heart and absolute trust to the end.”

o On August 29, Rodong Sinmun stressed through a by-lined editorial that “reinforcing cultural and emotional cultivation has been an important principle the Workers’ Party of Korea has consistently upheld in its ideological endeavors.”

o On August 30, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported that a ceremony took place at the Hungnam Fertilizer Complex to celebrate the start of the operation of new and modernized fertilizer production processes with, among others, President of the Presidium of the DPRK Supreme People’s Assembly Kim Yong-nam, Vice Chair of the DPRK National Defence Commission Kim Yong-chun and Chief Secretary of the South Hamgyong Pronvicial Committee of the WPK Hong Song-nam present.

o On August 30, the North’s Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) said, “The Ministry of Education is fashioning the curriculum of socialist subjects with greater focus on the Songun philosophy in order to spur the project to prepare new generations as advocates and fulfillers of the Songun revolutionary philosophy.” The KCBS also mentioned, “In order to paint educational content only in the color of the Songun philosophy, [the ministry] has been pursuing a project to make overall improvements to the content in individual categories and subjects in accordance with the needs of the Songun era by pooling the academic capabilities of authoritative scholars.

o On September 2, the KCNA reported, “Kim Jeong-il provided on-site guidance at the Manpho Refinery and the Amnokgang Tire Plant in Manpho city, as well as at the February General Steel Enterprise in Songgan County and at the Jonchon Rock Drill Factory and the Jonchon County Commercial Management Office in Jonchon County.”

Outside North Korea

o On August 27, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) reported, “The artistic performance Arirang that resumed on August 1 has been suspended due to unexpected heavy rains and flood damage,” and provided detail as to the reason: “As workers throughout the nation have rolled up their sleeves to aid in flood recovery, it is difficult to proceed with Arirang. Thus, the performance will resume after the flood damage has been cleaned up.”

Inter-Korean Issues

o On August 31, the North’s Rodong Sinmun introduced anecdotes allegedly depicting “Kim Jeong-il’s love for the nation” in articles titled “Noble Love of Compatriotism” and “Repeatedly Checking upon South Korea’s Weather Forecasts.”

- The newspaper said, “In June 1995, when Sampoong Department Store in Seoul collapsed, Kim Jeong-il called an official very early in the morning and said, ‘I cannot sleep at all for my heart is breaking,’” and also mentioned, “One spring, when Kim Jeong-il was concerned about a long drought that was affecting all of South Korea, once he heard that it had just rained he could not help but break into a smile of joy.”