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North Korea Weekly (August 4-10, 2008)

ROK National Intelligence Service

【Inside North Korea】

o On August 4, the North Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) said, “Vice-chair Pak Ku-ho of the Central Standing Committee of the General Association of Korean Residents in Japan (Chongryon) paid a visit to Mangyongdae, a holy land of revolution, today.” The KCBS stated, “In this meaningful year that marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Chongryon officials and Korean residents in Japan will devote all to the building of a socialist power and to the realization of the noble feat of the reunification of the fatherland in step with the people of their fatherland.”

o On August 5, the North Korean Central News Agency (KCAN) reported, “Affected by a low pressure area formed in the middle part of the West Sea, or Yellow Sea, most parts of Korea saw heavy rains from August 1–3.” KCNA added, “In one day alone, Sepo, Hoeyang and Goseong in Gangwon Province and Baecheon in Hwanghae Province received 322 mm, 303 mm, 244 mm, and 177 mm of rain, respectively. The heavy rains had a significant economic impact, including damage to agricultural areas in the regions hit.”

o On August 5, the KCBS said, “The global food situation continues to worsen, leading to significant concerns,” adding, “The current food crisis is not confined to individual countries or regions, but is sweeping the world.” By way of detail, the KCBS reported, “This year, the global grain stocks are expected to drop by 21 million tons as compared to the previous year. The food crisis has caused over 854 million people around the world to be affected by starvation, and caused numerous children to die from hunger, malnutrition and a range of diseases.”

o On August 6, the KCBS said, “Kim Il Sung University is augmenting the role and purpose of its lectures in order to improve and reinforce culture education projects and science R&D projects,” adding, “Officials are restructuring the curriculum, including creating new subjects, and moving ahead with a project to set appropriate principles and purposes for individual courses so as to further rationalize the university’s courses.”

【Outside North Korea】

o On August 7, the North Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) said, “Comrade Kim Yong-nam, President of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, departed from Pyongyang today in order to attend the opening ceremony of the 29th Olympic Games in China as an honorary guest.” The KCBS added that he was accompanied by Vice Foreign Minister Pak Gil-yon and others.

【Inter-Korean Issues】

o On August 4, the North Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) contended, “The development of the unification movement is a desperate mission of the times for our nation, which has been engaging in a vigorous battle to launch a new era of independence and unification, and peace and prosperity.” The KCBS stressed, “When all Koreans in the North and South and abroad, under the banner of uriminzokkiri, or ‘by our nation itself,’ further drive the development of the unification movement, a new era of independence and unification as well as peace and prosperity will open wide.”