• Military

• WMD Menu                           

• Introduction
• Systems
• Facilities
• Agencies
• Operations
• Countries
• Hot Documents
• News
• Reports
• Policy
• Budget
• Congress
• Links

• Intelligence
• Homeland Security
• Space

North Korea Weekly (June 16-22, 2008)

ROK National Intelligence Service

【Inside North Korea】

o On June 17, North Korea’s Central TV said, “Comrade Xi Jinping, Vice President of the People’s Republic of China, arrived in Pyongyang today,” adding, “Those welcoming him at the airport included Comrade Yang Hyong-sop, vice president of the Presidium of the Supreme People’s Assembly, Secretary Kim Ki-nam of the WPK Central Committee and Vice Foreign Minister Kim Yong-il.” Central TV also reported that the Chinese Vice President had inspected an honor guard of the Korean People's Army at a parade.

o On June 18, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said, “Chinese Vice President Xi Jinping, who is visiting the Republic [DPRK], toured the International Friendship Exhibition Hall. He was accompanied by Chinese Ambassador to North Korea Liu Xiaoming, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui and a deputy head of the International Liaison Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.”

o On June 19, the North’s Rodong Sinmun published an editorial titled “Let Us Continue to Polish the New Era of National Prosperity, United in One Heart Under the Party,” in which the newspaper stated, “Our fatherland is meaningfully marking the 44th anniversary of the commencement of Comrade Kim Jeong-il’s work as part of the Central Committee of the Party,” and made the assessment, “Forty-four years ago, the general started working at the Central Committee, and the undertaking marked the most significant historic turnaround in the battle to perfect the succession of the great feat of the Juche Revolution and to construct a rich and strong fatherland, unfolding an infinitely promising path ahead of the party.”

【Outside North Korea】

o On June 16, North Korea’s Pyongyang Broadcasting Service (PBS) issued a commentary titled “[Japan] Should Make a Courageous Decision to Rectify Its Past Crimes,” in which it said, “The register of Korean victims involuntarily enlisted in the invading Japanese troops during the Pacific War, which had been unearthed by a Japanese citizen, was recently revealed to the public.” The PBS added, “According to the register, over 20,000 Koreans met cruel deaths on the battlefield as soldiers or civilian employees of the Japanese army after being forcefully dragged off to war.”

【Inter-Korean Issues】

o On June 17, North Korea’s Central TV said, “The war mongers of the imperialist US and the [South Korean] puppet military authority announced that they will engage in a joint air force drill at Gunsan Air Base,” adding, “In this war exercise, US Air Force units stationed in the Pacific region and the mainland US, [South Korean] puppet air forces and F-15 and F-16 fighters as well as other air strike tools will be mobilized.”