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North Korea Weekly (November 17-November 23, 2008)

ROK National Intelligence Service

【Inside North Korea】

o On November 17, the Pyongyang Broadcasting Service said, “Laborers and workers at the Mount Chilbo Scenic Site Management Center are working hard to further develop the mountain into a public garden for the people.” It reported, “Members of the inner, outer and coastal Chilbo management units are beautifying the mountain by cutting down trees to provide a better view of notable places and fantastic rocks, by effectively managing work on sightseeing roads, and carrying out stone step repair and retaining wall construction in a well-planned manner.” o On November 18, the North Korean Central Broadcasting Station reported, "Workers at agricultural supervisory agencies of all levels, with the knowledge that soil fertility must be improved as part of preparatory steps to increase grain yields, are engaging in organized political projects to dedicate labor and farming devices to those projects based on comprehensive plans according to set schedules for each type of vegetable crops." It added, “They innovatively cultivated all planned paddy and dry fields with bulls, while causing tractor drivers to perform deep plowing based on their enhanced responsibility and role.”

o On November 20, the North Korean Central Broadcasting Station said, “Now, just six years after the first exemplary central propagandists of the military-first era were produced, there are more than 180 of them.” It went on to say, “In all regions of the country, these propagandists serve as unflinching protectors and proactive propagandists of the policies of the Workers’ Party, encouraging and inspiring members of the party as well as workers to accomplish great achievements and provide distinguished service with pride and honor as guardians of the party’s ideological front.”

【Outside North Korea】

o In a November 17 editorial titled “A criminal act fueling the risk of nuclear war,” Rodong Sinmun argued, “US Defense Secretary Gates enumerated factors to justify resumption of nuclear tests, contending that a strong US defense capacity can be maintained only through nuclear weapons testing. In the 63rd session of the UN General Assembly, the US voted against a resolution on nuclear weapons.” The newspaper alleged, “The US Congress recently adopted a resolution to disburse $5 million for independent research on the potential use of space bases for missile defense with the intent of reviving the Star Wars plan. The country’s reckless nuclear policies that threaten to destroy world peace and safety and bring about nuclear disaster will certainly invite harsh denunciation and condemnation from the international community.”

【Inter-Korean Issues】

o On November 19, Rodong Sinmun argued, “It is our unchanged principle that the two Koreas should join hands to autonomously resolve inter-Korean issues in the spirit of nationalism.” It criticized, “While vehemently propagandizing South Korea’s traditional alliance with the US, South Korean puppets have allowed nationalistic and inter-Korean issues to pass into the hands of foreign powers and served their interests in an attempt to split the peninsula.”