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Weekly Report on North Korea No. 899 (July 7 to 14, 2008)

ROK Ministry of Unification

Internal Affairs

North Korea aggressively promotes its own techniques for manufacturing “Juche iron” and pursues expansion of its manufacturing capacity of iron (July 7, Central Broadcasting Station).

Since early July, North Korea has held various kinds of ceremonies in commemoration of the 14 th anniversary of the death of Kim Il Sung which falls on July 9th. During those ceremonies, North Korea tried to cherish the memories of Kim Il Sung, raise people’s loyalty to Kim Jong Il and consequently rationalize the succession of power from father to son.

Inter-Korean Affairs

In an interview of the spokesperson for the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland, North Korea criticized South Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s comment on his willingness to meet with Kim Jong Il made during the interview with Japan’s Kyodo News Agency on July 6th (July 7, Korean Central News Agency).

In a statement under the name of the spokesperson for the North Korean authorities operating Mt. Geumgang tour, Pyongyang insisted that South Korea should assume the responsibility for the fatal shooting on July 11th of a South Korean female tourist by a North Korean soldier (July 12, KCNA).

In a signed commentary titled “Vicious challenge against the trends of our time as well as aspirations and demands from the people”, North Korea slammed South Korean President Lee Myung-bak’s address at the opening of the 18th National Assembly, which included President Lee’s proposals on resuming full-scale inter-Korean dialogue (July 13, Rodong Sinmun).

Foreign Affairs

Through its state-run media including CBS and KCNA, North Korea criticized Japan ’s brutal acts done in the past, including comfort women and massacre.

In a KCNA report and various articles released on Chosun Sinbo , North Korea expressed its position on the meeting of envoys of the Six-party Talks held July 10 to 12.

In a Minju Joson commentary on July 9 and KCNA commentary on July 10, North Korea denounced the United States over the strengthening of ROK-US military alliance and the US hardliners’ attacks against the Six-party Talks.