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North Korea Weekly (October 6-12, 2008)

ROK National Intelligence Service

【Inside North Korea】

o On October 4, the North Korean Central Broadcasting Station (KCBS) said, “Comrade Kim Jeong-il, chair of the National Defense Commission, watched a soccer game among university students held on the occasion of the 62nd anniversary of the founding of Kim Il-sung University, the supreme sanctuary of juche (self-reliance) education.” It emphasized, “After watching the game, Comrade Kim Jeong-il said that our revolutionary and combatant university students are fully dedicating their wisdom and passion to scientific exploration for the benefit of the fatherland and its people and also engaging in outstanding artistic and athletic activities. It is very important to develop our university students, who will be responsible for shaping the future of the fatherland, into highly achieving, physically strong and competent human resources.”

o On October 8, the KCBS propagandized, “The DPRK’s priority economic sectors (electricity generation, coal mining, metal production and railroad transport) and basic industries made substantial progress. Against this backdrop, hydroelectric power plants, including Ganggye Youth, Taecheon and Seodoosoo plants, are working hard to generate more electric power.” It also said, “Workers at coal mines in the Youth Mining United Enterprise of the Suncheon District are committed to increasing coal production daily by converging their competences to mine coal-rich deposits and increasing facility operation ratios.”

o On October 9, the KCBS reported, “There are many sites of natural beauty and historic interest in Pyongyang, which has a long history that spans five millennia. Among these is Ryeongwangjeong Pavilion, one of the Eight Scenic Beauties of Gwanseo.” It went on to say, “Ryeongwangjeong Pavilion sits upon the rocks beside beautiful and elegant Daedong River, in excellent harmony with its surroundings. Since its construction during the Goguryo era, along with Pyeongyangseong Castle, it has been renovated several times. Its southern and northern wings are built on 11 and 9 pillars, respectively, forming an oddly-shaped combined loft. This building has a hanging signboard that reads ‘landscape unrivaled in the world,’ which is a quote of a foreign envoy.”

【Outside North Korea】

o On October 5, the Pyongyang Broadcasting Service (PBS) reported, “In a worsening global food crisis, developing countries are vigorously waging a struggle to attain alimentary self-sufficiency.” It added, “President of the Philippines Gloria Macapagal Arroyo said in a function this past June that we could no longer depend on food imports in the face of a sharp worldwide rise in food prices and that the government of the country would take proactive measures to achieve alimentary self-sufficiency within the subsequent five years.”

o On October 7, North Korea’s Rodong Sinmun said in an editorial titled “A Vicious Attempt at Overseas Military Expansion” that “the Japanese Defense Ministry decided to strengthen its intelligence analysis division in charge of Africa as of April next year in order to improve its intelligence gathering ability in Africa and intends to dispatch its Self-Defense Forces to the United Nations Mission in Sudan, the United Nations Peacekeeping Operations training center, and other locations in the near future.” It alleged, “Japanese reactionaries are stepping up their military infiltration into African nations.”

【Inter-Korean Issues】

o On October 7, Rodong Sinmun reported, “It is a revolutionary obligation and mandate of the DPRK Workers’ Party and people to achieve autonomous and peaceful unification of the fatherland as per Comrade Kim Il-sung’s will. In addition, it is a sacred national task assigned to our generation.” It also said, “General Kim Jeong-il coordinated the establishment of the three grand charters for unification of the fatherland: (i) three major principles of unification of the fatherland, (ii) ten main principles of the entire nation’s grand unity, and (iii) creation of the Democratic Confederal Republic of Koryo.” In addition, it emphasized, “It is the party’s unwavering basic position that the unification of the fatherland must be accomplished in an autonomous and peaceful manner by joining hands with South Korean people in line with the June 15 Joint Declaration and October 4 Declaration.”