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North Korea Weekly (April 21-27, 2008)

ROK National Intelligence Service

【Inside North Korea】

o On April 21, North Korea’s Pyongyang Broadcasting Service (PBS) stated, “The Korean nation-first spirit is a noble ideological sentiment based on the Juche (self-identity) philosophy, which firmly upholds the supreme value of humans and the independence of the masses.” The PBS went on, “In contrast to cosmopolitanism, nationalist exclusivism, and racism, which only emphasize the supremacy of one’s own nation and despise other nations, it is a true internationalist spirit and a true nationalist philosophy that actively promotes and refines the excellence of our nation.”

o On April 22, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, “A variety of global efforts to protect the environment are currently underway in Korea.” The KCNA propagandized, “In spring and autumn every year, far-reaching public campaigns are undertaken to protect the nation’s land and the environment under which people work to protect the environment and come to better grasp the importance of preserving the environment. In conjunction with the campaigns, explanatory sessions are held to inform the public on the energy issues that are behind global warming so that the public will be more motivated to participate in projects to help resolve climate change issues.”

o On April 24, the North’s Central TV reported, “Spring has come with more frequent visits from the so-called hwangsa, or yellow dust,” and discussed foods that are believed to be beneficial during the yellow dust season: “Dropwort, which has traditionally been used to treat fever, poisoning and high blood pressure, treats a hoarse throat, the lungs and other parts of the respiratory system affected by yellow dust. Shepherd’s purse and onion are rich in a variety of vitamins as all spring herbs are, and are good for one’s health in many respects.” Central TV added, “Among fish, walleye pollock is especially beneficial as it eliminates a range of toxins that accumulate in the human body, making it an effective treatment for allergies.”

o On April 24, the KCNA said, “A national meeting was convened at the April 25 House of Culture to celebrate the 76th Anniversary of the creation of the [North] Korean People’s Army (KPA),” and quoted Minister of the People’s Armed Forces Kim Il-chol as saying, “Today’s political situation is compelling the entire party, army and people to gear themselves for battle with an alert sense of urgency.” The KCNA alleged, “The US to our face speaks of peace and dialogue, but behind our back is fervently trying to establish a three-pronged military alliance with South Korea and Japan’s armed forces as part of a wicked plan to crush and annihilate us.”

【Outside North Korea】

o On April 21, the North Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) said, “The US’s and other western countries’ attempts to make a political issue of the Beijing Olympic games have become evident,” and reported, “Some US congress members have recently criticized the Chinese government’s treatment of violent organized crime committed by criminal gangs in the city of Lhasa in the Tibetan autonomous region of China in March, and they are calling for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics.” The KCBS alleged, “Attempts to disrupt the Olympic torch relay are a planned provocation designed to thwart the Olympic Games, and the international community will not turn a blind eye to them.”

o On April 23, the KCBS said, “Atomic bomb victims living in our country [North Korea] took part in a press conference at the People’s Palace of Culture on April 22,” and quoted the secretary general of the [North] Korean Atomic Bomb Victims Association for Anti-nuclear Peace as saying, “The issue of our [North Korea’s] atomic bomb victims is a product of the Japanese military occupation [of the Korean peninsula].” The KCBS added, “Many Koreans who had been taken to Hiroshima and Nagasaki were victims of the US atomic bombings.”

o On April 23, the KCBS said, “Defense Minister Liang Guanglie of the People’s Republic of China greeted a DPRK Air Force delegation led by Ri Byong-chol, an Air Force commander, at the August 1 Building in Beijing, China yesterday and had a friendly conversation.” The KCBS indicated, “At the meeting, Minister Liang Guanglie mentioned the active exchanges and mutual visits between high officers of the two countries’ armies in the last century and expressed his hope for an expanded friendly relationship between China and North Korea.”

【Inter-Korean Issues】

o On April 22, North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun stated, “The new South Korean government, which was launched in February, put top priority on its ties with the US and pragmatism and put forth a North Korean policy of ‘Denuclearization, Opening and 3,000’ [which involves South Korea helping North Korea reach a per capita income of 3,000 USD in exchange for the North abandoning its nuclear programs], thereby confronting and challenging the tide of the times.” The newspaper went on to criticize the fact that “important figures of the South Korean government are without exception pro-US and pro-Japan. For example, Prime Minister Han Seung-soo developed his pro-US career as an ambassador to the US, while Foreign Affairs and Trade Minister Yu Myung-hwan used to line his pockets as an ambassador to Japan and a presidential spokesperson was a Tokyo correspondent for Donga Ilbo [a prominent South Korean newspaper].”